Trouble
by Harleyquinnzelz
Summary: In the sleepy town of Riverdale, nobody ever expects anything to change. But the death of golden boy Jason Blossom brings a dark shadow over the small town, and suddenly everything is changing. Dark secrets are being brought to light, and now Emma Hayes will find herself searching for answers to questions she never thought she'd be asking.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Riverdale series or any other characters associated with it. However, I do own Emma and any other original characters that might pop up. And similarities to any other works of fanfiction are purely coincidental.**

 **PROLOGUE**

" _Did perpetual happiness in the Garden of Eden maybe get so boring that eating the apple was justified?"_

 _Chuck Palahniuk, Survivor_

In the years that would follow, Emma Hayes would always remember exactly what she was doing when she found out about Jason Blossom's mysterious death. It was, after all, the catalyst that would change everything she _thought_ she knew about Riverdale.

In her case, she was at the dance studio, cleaning up after a lesson with the kids. She didn't _really_ work there, but Mrs. Sylvester let her help out in exchange for lessons that Emma definitely couldn't afford. Not that Emma really needed lessons anymore, as Mrs. Sylvester told her constantly. After all, Emma had been attending classes at the studio since she was a little kid. Still, it was nice to participate in the recitals and even nicer being able to teach some of the lessons for the smaller kids.

She heard her phone go off from it's place in her bag, but took her time walking over to it, finishing her sweep of the dance floor before emptying out the dustpan and putting the broom up. Emma walked over to her bag, stooping down to grab her water bottle and phone. She took a swig just as she unlocked it to read the text, nearly choking.

 **Jason Blossom is dead! Meet me at the river ASAP!**

She read the message over a few times, before hitting the call button and holding the phone between her ear and shoulder, listening to it ring as she hurriedly packed up her belongings. A moment later she heard the familiar voice of her best friend say _"Hello?"._

"Jug, what the hell do you mean Jason is missing?" She asked, pulling her bag over her shoulder and grabbing her skateboard with her free hand.

"Missing as in nowhere to be found." Jughead responded smartly. Though he couldn't see it, Emma rolled her eyes in response. "Yeah," she said impatiently. "I get _that._ I need more context though, dude."

"I don't know much." He told her. "I just found out. I'm going down to the river to see what I can find out. Can you meet me? Now?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving the studio now." Emma pushed open the door, stepping outside before turning to lock it with the key Mrs. Sylvester had entrusted her with. "Give me fifteen minutes." With that, she hung up, sliding her phone bag into her bag. It didn't seem very likely that anybody would actually _tell_ them anything, but eavesdropping went a long way. Anyway, it was unlikely that Jughead was the first person to find out about Jason's disappearance. And in a small town like Riverdale, with something as big as this, Emma would bet that anybody who could would be dragging their asses down to the river as well.

For a moment, Emma wondered if she should be sad. It wasn't like she liked Jason Blossom, in fact Emma would even go so far as to say she _hated_ him, along with his twin sister Cheryl. She had never exactly fit in with their crowd and it definitely didn't help that her mom cleaned their house, as if that made the twins better than her in some way. Still, Emma wouldn't have wished this on him. As awful as he was, if he was lying dead somewhere in the woods surrounding the riverhe didn't deserve it.

Heaving out a sigh, Emma set her board down before mounting it and starting on her way. Jughead would be waiting for her, after all, and as awful as this whole thing was, at least something _interesting_ was finally happening in Riverdale.

Over the course of the summer, Emma hadn't done much. Unlike some of the families in Riverdale, her's could not afford to take a vacation, and it wasn't like she had a paying job (babysitting did _not_ count) so most of her time was either spent at the Dance Studio or hanging out with Jughead.

It was a far cry from most of the summers of her childhood, because back then it had always been Emma, Jughead, and Archie Andrews running around, spending their days lounging around Pop's or at someone's house, watching movies and eating junk food. But Archie's recent discretion against Jughead had proven too much to take, and Emma had chosen her side. Jughead and Emma remained just as close as ever, and Archie was just...removed from the equation. Which was all for the best, in Emma's opinion. He simply wasn't the same boy she had grown up with, having moved on to a different social group altogether.

She had expected this summer to be like every other, monotonous. Yet, on that July morning _everything_ had changed. She couldn't help but think of that that night, when she finally slid into the booth at Pop's, across from Jughead.

"My mom told me what Mrs. Blossom told her." She announced immediately. "That Cheryl dropped a glove in the water and when Jason reached into the water to grab it, the undercurrent swept him in and he drowned. Who the hell wears _gloves_ in the middle of summer, anyway."

She looked up as Pop approached their table, offering him a smile. "The usual, Emma?" He asked. Emma nodded, offering him a small smile. "Please. But no-"

"No lettuce or onions on the burger. I _know_ , Emma." He laughed, tucking his pen away behind the ear, returning to his spot behind the counter.

"How did you mom find out?" Jughead asked, glancing at Emma over the top of his laptop, the light from it making his face look paler than it actually was. "She called to offer her condolences." Emma sighed. "It's weird to think about, isn't it? How many times have we gone swimming down as Sweet Water River. I mean...it could have happened to either of us."

"But it didn't." Jughead pointed out. "We're lucky, I guess."

"Lucky? Yeah, lucky to finally be rid of-" she stopped herself, shaking her head. "I shouldn't think that. Jason was a dick but...nobody deserves to die like that."

"It's strange, isn't it?" Jughead asked, closing his laptop and leaning back in his seat. "Nothing like this _ever_ happens in Riverdale."

"Yeah." Emma nodded. "Nothing this horrible or interesting _ever_ happens here. All those people at the river earlier were like...vultures. Picking for information, for _anything_ to fuel their interest. Are people here _that_ starved for any deviance from their mundane lives?"

"I guess even the picture perfect residents get tired of picture perfect Riverdale." Jughead said with a shrug. "I guess so." Emma agreed softly, looking up with a start as Pop set their food down, two burgers one with fries and the other with onion rings being placed on the table with a coffee for Jughead and a strawberry banana shake for Emma. "Here you go, guys." The older man said. "Enjoy." With that he was sweeping away to tend to another table, leaving Jughead and Emma to their food. She took a sip of her shake, savoring the sweet flavor.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" She asked suddenly. "How...even with Jason Blossom's untimely death...life still goes on just the same." She reached forward, snagging a fry from Jughead's plate and popping it into her mouth. He gave her a withering look. "You mean you still steal my food?"

Emma laughed. "Yes. And no. What I mean is….look. Sweet Miss Betty over there getting dinner from Pop's, just like she does every Wednesday night. And when she's done she'll go home and she'll feed her cats and fall asleep to the evening news. And us, sitting here just like we always do. Life doesn't stop for anyone. Not even Jason Blossom."

"Getting kind of philosophical there, Em. That's not like you at all." Jughead observed as he raised his burger to his mouth before taking a bite. "No, it's not. It just...makes me wonder if things will _really_ change, you know? Like...if this will make things different and if...in a week, two weeks, a month if everyone will just...forget."

They wouldn't. Of course, Emma had no way of knowing that then. In fact, it would be _weeks_ before the true nature of Jason's death reared it's ugly head. And _that's_ when things when things would really change.

 **Author's Note: I know that only the first episode of Riverdale has aired but I am already Riverdale trash if you couldn't tell. I don't know how often this story will be updated since I am still working on 'A Study In Survival' and will probably want to let the show get at least a little bit ahead. But I was so excited that I just** _ **had**_ **to post this!**


	2. Chapter One

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Riverdale series or any other characters associated with it. However, I do own Emma and any other original characters that might pop up. And similarities to any other works of fanfiction are purely coincidental.**

 **CHAPTER ONE**

" _People have done this before, but not us."_

 _Ada Limon, 'Bright Dead Things'_

The first time it had happened, Emma had sworn for days afterwards that it was just a accident.

That was a lie, of course, but repeating the words to herself over and over had made her feel a little bit better about the whole thing. But calling it an accident implied that they hadn't meant for it to happen and that just wasn't true. Neither of them had been drunk, their judgements were not impaired. Consent had been mutual and, while it might have been more accurate to call it a surprising turn of events, Emma could not honestly call it an accident.

But it had _definitely_ been a one time thing, she promised herself the following morning. But then, even that had been thrown out the window a few days later and whatever Emma had told herself in the beginning was quickly forgotten. It wasn't an accident, and it definitely wasn't a one time thing.

Emma Hayes was sleeping with Reggie Mantle.

She still couldn't quite believe the words, since the whole thing wasn't something she thought would _ever_ happen. And what was more, Emma wasn't exactly planning on stopping any time soon.

Sleeping with Reggie was the _only_ unusual thing she had done that summer, the only deviation from her usual monotony (aside from Jason Blossom's death, of course) and though she would never admit it, she _liked_ it.

"Hungry?"

She turned to look over her shoulder at him, raising a brow slightly. He was spread out across his bed, his sheet draped over him and a content sort of smile on his face. Rolling her eyes, she turned away again, tying her converse before standing up, pulling her messy hair into a slightly less messy bun. "Offering to treat me to dinner, Reggie?" She asked. "You know, most guys offer to do that _before_ they bang their booty call." Pulling her messenger bag up off the floor next to his bed, she draped it over her shoulder before turning to look at him again to see him crossing his arms behind his head.

"You called me." He pointed out. Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes. " _Fine._ So you're _my_ booty call. If you're looking for me to buy you dinner, you're gonna be pretty disappointed. I'm broke."

"We could order a pizza." He offered. She smiled at him, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Hoping to get a round two later, Reg? As appealing as that sounds, gotta be up early tomorrow. First day of school, you know. See you there?" She started towards the door, knowing his parents weren't at home and there would be no issue walking through his house. She hesitated, pausing with her hand hovering over the door knob as she turned to look at him. "This is still cool, right? Like...we can keep doing it but we keep it to ourselves and we don't feel ashamed or whatever?"

Despite the fact that she definitely didn't want to stay, she really did need to get up early and eating with him sounded a bit too much like a date to be comfortable, part of her was also worried that he would say no, they couldn't keep doing and that would really be a shame. Emma enjoyed it, more than she would care to admit, and had grudgingly realized that Reggie Mantle was charming in his own way. And she definitely liked the way he looked at her, his heated gaze always managing to make her heart beat faster and her body to feel very warm.

"Yeah," Reggie said, with a simple nod of his head. "We can keep it up."

"Cool." Emma bobbed her head, trying her best to appear nonchalant about the whole thing. The truth was that she had no idea how to go about this sort of thing. She didn't want to seem desperate or clingy, because she _absolutely was not_ either of those things. "So um...see you tomorrow, Reggie." She said, raising her hand in a simple wave before slipping out the door.

Despite declining eating with Reggie, Emma wouldn't deny she was hungry, and so, as she usually did when she have pocket money and was hungry, she ended up pushing open the door to Pop's, gaze immediately sweeping the place and landing on a familiar figure sitting in their usual booth. She grinned as she hurried over to him, sliding into the seat across from him.

"Hey stranger," she greeted. Blue eyes peered at her from over his laptop, a small grin turning up the corners of his mouth. "Was wondering if you'd show up tonight." He said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I usually do." She reminded him, looking up with a smile as Pop approached with a notepad in head. "Emma," he greeted, his voice deep and familiar. "What can I get for you?"

"Is that even a question?" She teased lightly. He grinned, rolling his eyes playfully. "Burger with no onions or lettuce with a side of onion rings, and a strawberry banana shake? Emma, if I didn't know any better I'd say you don't like my other food."

"Hey," she said quickly, raising her hands in surrender. "You said it, not me."

Pop laughed, the sound loud and boisterous and something she had heard a million times before in this same scenario. "Heard you ended up babysitting Ashleigh and Marcy Friday night. Were they good?"

"Angels, as usual." She assured him. "They begged me to bring them here for dinner but I couldn't so we made a deal that I would make them grilled cheese instead. They made a point to tell me that they were not nearly as good as their grandpa's." She added, giving him a pointed look while he grinned, looking very proud of himself. "Yep," he said. "Those are my girls. Your food will be out in a minute, Emma." He added as he turned to go put her order in.

"Thanks," she called before turning back to Jughead who had been watching them with an amused look on his face. She reached over, grabbing his coffee cup to take a sip, immediately making a face. "You know I drink it black." He reminded her. She sighed, nodding miserably. "I know," she said. "But I wanted coffee." He shook his head slightly, with an affectionate sort of exasperation as she slid his coffee back across the table towards him.

"So how goes the novel?" She asked, gesturing towards the laptop. "It goes," he answered simply, making Emma grin. "I wish I could give you more inside intel from my mom but I think she got suspicious of me asking."

"Suspicious?" Jughead raised a brow. "Why would she be? You loved Jason more than anyone else in the whole world." His words were heavy with sarcasm, and Emma couldn't help but snort lightly at his words. "Oh _yeah_ , Jason Blossom- my long lost love."

"Guess we'll have to get information through good, old-fashioned snooping." Jughead said with a shrug. He didn't bother asking if Emma minded at all, he knew she wouldn't. It wasn't even a question of whether she would be helping him get information for his novel, that went without saying. Emma and Jughead had been friends for as long as either of them could remember, it was hard to recall a memory that did not involve Jughead in some way. If Jughead found something important enough to invest himself in, then Emma would be right there beside him. That was just the kind of friendship that they had.

"You be Shaggy, I'll be Scooby." Emma grinned, looking up in time to see a waitress walk around the counter and start heading their way with her food on the tray. She sat up eagerly, offering the waitress a large smile as she sat the food down in front of her. "Thanks," she told her gratefully before reaching forward for her shake taking a long drink before letting out a satisfied hum at the sweetness. "So," Emma said brightly. "Should we coordinate outfits for the first day of school tomorrow or…?"

Emma had never exactly fit in at school.

Sure, once upon a time, she had been the girl who would play with the boys on the playground, digging for bugs in the dirt and racing the boys. But then everyone had grown up, and the most consistent friends that Emma had were Jughead and Archie, who she had been friends with for her whole life. Of course, this summer her friendship with Archie had come to a screeching halt after he had unexpectedly bailed on their road trip with no explanation. And Emma had spent _months_ saving up babysitting money for the trip and convincing her parents to let her go.

When the number had dwindled from three to two, her parents had drawn the line and had forbade her to go. It was one thing for three teenagers to go, they had said despite the fact that they hadn't exactly been comfortable with that, but just two? Absolutely not. No amount of reasoning from Emma had been enough to convince them otherwise and, thought they had apologized profusely for her summer plans being ruined, Emma had been mad at them for _weeks._

Peering up at Riverdale High School, Emma couldn't help but sigh. Like everything in her life, her freshman year of highschool had proven to be just as monotonous as everything else. Emma had no reason to believe that this year would be any different. The only thing that varied from the usual mundane she spent her days doing were the nights she spent with Reggie.

Maybe that's why she looked forward to them, or maybe it was the thrill of having a secret, even from the one person in her life whom she told everything. Or maybe she just genuinely _enjoyed_ them. Whatever the case, when Reggie had texted her that morning asking if she was free that night, Emma had said yes.

Gripping her skateboard in one hand, Emma started towards the front entrance, pushing a strand of brown hair back behind her ear. All around her, her peers milled about, not yet ready to return to classes and Emma couldn't blame them. She wasn't ready either, and she had been tempted to just stay home today and tell her mother she had slept through her alarm. But, dreading whatever reaction her mom would have and deciding that the first day wasn't the best day to be irresponsible, Emma had hopped in the shower and gotten ready, pulling on her favorite pair of high-waisted shorts and a blue crop top as well a black and white plaid shirt and her old, scruffy converse.

Glancing around as she entered the school, Emma was unsurprised to see that it had remained unchanged over the summer, despite an 'In Memoriam' portrait of Jason Blossom that now hung outside the main office with the various offerings people had left for him on the ground around it. 'Great' she thought as she turned away with a sigh. 'Now I'll have to see his face every morning.'

"They really outdid themselves, huh?"

She turned to see Jughead gesturing towards the portrait and rolled her eyes, nodding in agreement. "Yeah absolutely. It's almost like an altar for him." She snorted, falling into step beside her friend. She had been pleased to learn that he was only three lockers down from her and that they shared the majority of their classes this year.

All around them, the familiar faces of their classmates milled about, exchanging stories from their summers. Jughead and Emma exchanged a similar exasperated look as they passed by one girl who was bragging to her friends about the vacation she had taken with her family. Neither of them had been born into a wealthy family, unlike many of their classmates, and things like vacations were luxuries that neither could afford. Hearing about it all really made Emma feel even more annoyed over the fact that they had been unable to take their road trip that summer.

"Maybe next summer we can take our trip." Emma said suddenly, stopping at her locker and pulling her schedule from her back pocket. She had scrawled her new locker combination in the top right corner and put it in quickly, opening her locker and shoving her skateboard inside before reaching inside her tattered messenger bag to retrieve a binder and a pen, tucking the latter behind her ear before hanging her bag inside her, closing the locker with a clang.

"Maybe," Jughead agreed. "This time we won't let Archie ruin it." Emma said, leaning against her locker as she faced his direction, watching him put his things away.

"You know," Jughead said almost thoughtfully. "We could always go camping. It's been a long time since we've done that."

" _Ohhhh,_ maybe we'll see Jason Blossom's ghost." Emma chirped cheerfully, earning a grin from Jughead as he shut his locker. She smirked lazily back before starting past him, towards her first class of the day, leaving Jughead to fall into step beside her. As she walked, she couldn't keep her gaze from drifting over to Reggie who was walking with Archie and their friend Moose. Reggie looked over just in time to catch her eye before she looked away, suddenly feeling very warm.

When they had first slept together over the summer, Emma's first instinct had been to tell Jughead, but she had stopped herself. Jughead hated Reggie Mantle, with good reason. Reggie had picked on Jughead since they were kids and Emma couldn't help but feel as if she were betraying her best friend a bit. Would he be mad if she told him? Would he feel as if she had turned her back on him? It had been her uncertainty in his reaction and the guilt she felt that had stopped her. Besides, she had told herself, it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't as if she was _dating_ Reggie. They were just sleeping together.

As she and Jughead turned the corner at the end of the hallway, Emma felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket and she automatically reach back to get it, unlocking it to see that Reggie had sent her a text. Unconsciously the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile as she read his message.

 **My place tonight?**

"What are you smiling about?" Jughead asked as she sent a quick 'yeah' back. "My dad was just telling me to have a good first day." Emma lied smoothly, locking her phone and sliding it back into her pocket before offering Jughead a wide grin. "I think this is going to be a good year," she said confidently. "I really do.

 **Author's Note: So here's the first** _ **official**_ **chapter, finally. I would have finished it a week ago but I've been super busy with real life stuff. Anyway, hopefully I can keep these chapters shorter than I usually do and get them out quicker but we'll see. In any case, let me know what you think guys! I love any feedback that you guys have to offer!**


	3. Chapter Two

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Riverdale series or any other characters associated with it. However, I do own Emma and any other original characters that might pop up. And similarities to any other works of fanfiction are purely coincidental.**

 **CHAPTER TWO**

" _The town was paper, but the memories were not."_

 _John Green, 'Paper Towns'_

Reggie's favorite color was green.

It had always been his favorite color, ever since he was a little kid, looking up at his mother's antique jade vase sitting high on a shelf above his head. He could remember his mother ushering him away, telling him not to touch it or else he might break it. Which really was the worst thing she could do, because he was fascinated by the thing ever since. He knew his grandmother had given it to her, and that it had been a gift to her from his great grandmother but beyond that he had no idea, and it had never occurred to him to ask his mom where it had come from originally. But his childhood fixation on that damned vase had cemented itself in him, and his favorite color was the jade green of that vase.

Emma Hayes' eyes just happened to be the exact shade of green of that vase.

He hadn't told her, of course, that the color of her eyes were coincidentally his favorite shade of green, he was pretty sure she would laugh at him for it. He also didn't tell her that whatever feelings he had for her went way beyond just sleeping together.

He definitely should have told her, he thought as his dark gaze shifted to where she sat at the very top of the bleachers next to Jughead Jones, leaning back against the wall with her earbuds in, clearly zoned out, while the boy next to her did something on his laptop. Yeah, he definitely should have told her yesterday, or even that morning. Any time since he had realized his feelings leading up to that exact moment would have been good actually, and then maybe Reggie could have been sitting by her instead of Jughead who casually reached over to grab Emma's chin, tilting her head gently to look at something on his screen. A moment later she smiled, reaching up to pull an earbud out so she could say something to him. Jughead smirked back, nudging her playfully before saying something back that made her laugh. Whatever they were talking about, they definitely were not paying attention to Cheryl Blossom standing at the podium.

The sound of cheering startled Reggie, making him turn back to face Cheryl at the front quickly. She had obviously said something good, and by everyone's reactions, if Reggie had to guess, it was that the dance wasn't canceled.

"- but rather to let us use it as a way to heal, collectively, and celebrate my brother's too, too short life in this mortal coil." She continued, offering them a smile. "Thank you all."

"Alright, man!" Moose clapped him on the shoulder grinning widely. "We gotta spike the punch again."

"Yeah." Reggie agreed, smirking lazily as he stood, along with the rest of the students as they began to file out of the auditorium. He turned to glance over his shoulder, back to where Emma had been sitting but she was already lost amongst the crowd. In a perfect world, they could go to the dance together. It sure sounded appealing, especially since Reggie had never even seen Emma in a dress, and the thought of her pressed up against him during a slow song was very tempting. But the truth was that Reggie's friends would give him hell for it, Emma was considered far below their social status, and anyway Reggie was certain Emma would say no. It was supposed to be a secret, she would say, and going to a dance together definitely was not very secretive. Anyway, Emma definitely was not the type to go to a school dance. He could imagine the way she'd roll her eyes at the mere suggestion, her sarcasm biting and unrelentless. Not asking Emma to the dance was definitely the smarter option, but smart or not it didn't change the fact that Reggie _really_ wanted to.

* * *

For years, Emma had been carrying the exact same lunch to school every day, carefully made for her each morning by her mother and left on the counter in a brown paper sack where she would see it when she left in school, her name written boldly across the front in sharpie. Inside she would find a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich without the crusts, a shiny green apple, a bag of nacho cheese doritos, and a can of Coke. Allowing her gaze to sweep over those who had gathered outside for lunch, Emma couldn't help but sigh. Jughead was nowhere to be seen and she really didn't know where else she would sit. Last year, she was usually sitting with either Jughead or Archie or both at lunch, with whatever additions that came with, usually in the form of Betty Cooper and Kevin Keller. But Emma refused to sit with Archie, and that seemed to exclude the other two.

She stood there for a moment, indecisively, before finally settling on an empty picnic table, sitting and pulling her sandwich out. Jughead had likely settled somewhere to write, which was just fine, but Emma would ask him to join her outside tomorrow for sure.

She settled down on the wooden seat, pulling out her sandwich and unwrapping it before pulling out her phone so she could scroll through her Tumblr while she ate. The sound of a familiar laugh from a nearby table had her looking up, apple raised halfway to her mouth.

Reggie was sitting with his football buddies, the group joking around as they usually did. As she watched them, expression curious, Emma took a bite of her apple, chewing slowly. It was so strange to think that she was _sleeping_ with Reggie Mantle, especially watching him with his friends. Certainly, nobody would ever expect it. Hell, they had hardly ever _spoken_ to each other, at least as far as anybody else knew. Yes, it was certainly strange.

As she watched Reggie looked up, eyes locking on her. Suddenly feeling particularly bold, Emma smirked slightly, before looking down at her phone to send a quick text.

 **Meet me under the bleachers.**

She didn't look at him again as she stood, collecting her trash and starting towards the football field, tossing it in the trash as she went. She didn't stop to consider how awkward it would be if Reggie _didn't_ end up following after her, Emma was just sincerely hoping that he would.

* * *

Cheryl Blossom had an eye for secrets, and the juicier they were the better.

Since her brother's disappearance, her family had been the center of attention from the whole town, and not the good time, and so to say that she was itching for some chaos was an understatement. Any trouble she could make, Cheryl was willing to do it. And nobody was immune to her clutches. Least of all Emma Hayes, who she really didn't like on principle. She didn't think much of it when the girl left lunch surprisingly early, she had been sitting _alone_ after all, heading in the direction of the field. But when _Reggie Mantle_ followed a minute later, walking eagerly in the same direction Emma had went, well...her interest was piqued.

Hesitating for a moment, brown eyes drifting to the table she had just been chatting with, where Betty, Kevin, and the new girl Veronica sat, Cheryl weighed her options before finally trailing after Reggie, her perfectly lined lips curling up into a mischievous smile.

* * *

Emma had never met a boy under the bleachers, she had only ever seen movies where it happened. Still, a sense of excitement filled her at the prospect of meeting Reggie there, the thrill of doing something _wrong_ making her heart pound in her chest.

She ducked under, before peeking through the seats so she could see when he was coming, impatience coursing through her. He was only a moment behind her, but she was too caught up to think about the fact that he had likely been less than subtle.

Her turned the corner, stepping under, his eyes instantly finding her. She couldn't help the slight grin that spread across her face as she reached out for him, gripping the front of his shirt to pull him towards her.

"Well hello to you too." He said with a laugh, just before she attached her lips to his. His hands slid around her waist, one pressing into the small of her back, large and warm, as he kissed her back. "Hey," she said when they pulled away, peering up at him. He kissed her again, and despite the fact that she _really_ didn't want to date him, and was determinedly telling herself that she didn't have romantic feelings for him, there was absolutely no way that Emma couldn't deny that she really liked kissing him. "We're still on for tonight, right?" Reggie asked between kisses. She hummed in agreement but didn't say anything else, threading her fingers in his hair. Both of them were so caught up in each other that they didn't notice a red-haired figure standing outside of the bleachers, peering through at them, her eyes alight with mischief.

" _Oh,"_ Cheryl Blossom whispered to herself. "This will be fun."

* * *

The last thing Emma Hayes was expecting while walking to her last class of the day was to be intercepted in the hallway by Cheryl, her two usual friends flanking her on either side.

"Emma, _hello."_ She said, her lips curling up in what could only be described as a venomous smile. Emma hesitated, furrowing her brow, gaze darting between the three uncertainly. They had cornered her at her locker and, it seemed, were trying to block her only means of escape.

"Um….hi?" Frowning, Emma adjusted her bag higher on her shoulder, shifting uncomfortably where she stood. "You _will_ be attending the dance this Friday, won't you?" Cheryl asked.

"Well I hadn't-"

"Because it simply wouldn't bode over very well for your mother, you understand? Her daughter refusing to attend the dance that is being held in honor of of employer's dead son."

The thinly veiled threat made her narrow her eyes slightly. Her mother worked as a maid, her primary source of income coming from the Blossom family and their massive manor. Without that job, Emma's family simply would not be able to make ends meet.

"Well I guess I could." Emma agreed reluctantly. As much as she loved dancing, she hated school dances. The social aspect had never appealed to her, she would much rather be sitting in a booth at Pop's across from Jughead. Still, Emma knew that she couldn't very well disagree now. Cheryl was definitely the type to go through on her threat. But just why in the hell Cheryl wanted her at the dance, Emma didn't know.

"Oh good." Cheryl purred. "And afterwards you simply must come to the party I'm holding at my house."

"I must?" Emma raised a brow, surprised by the invitation. She knew that the dislike between them was mutual, so she honestly didn't know where any of this was coming from.

"You _must._ " Cheryl said with a firm nod. "It will be such fun." With that, she turned on her heel to walk away, her friends following after, leaving Emma standing in front of her locker feeling very confused.

"Oh _boy._ "

* * *

"She's _making_ you go?" Jughead asked, swirling a french fry around in his ketchup before popping it into his mouth. Emma sighed, nodding miserably, tapping her fingers against the surface of the table.

"Yeah." She said morosely. "She like….threatened my mom's job, Jug. I don't even know why she would do that. Why does she want _me_ at the dance?"

"Why does Cheryl Blossom do anything?" Jughead shrugged, reaching out to take a sip of his drink. "Because she can."

Emma huffed, resting her chin in her hand. "She likes being a puppet master and _making_ everyone do what she wants."

"You want me to come?" Jughead asked. "It wouldn't be so bad if we can just hang out the whole time, right?"

"Nah," Emma shook her head. "No reason for us to _both_ be miserable. I'll just...go and get it over with, I guess."

"It's semi formal, Em. Do you even _own_ a dress?"

"Yes!" She said defensively. "My aunt bought one for me, remember. For my cousin's wedding. You went with us, remember."

"Oh yeah. The green one, right?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. It's literally the _only_ dress I own." She had been dreading the thought of attending the dance since her conversation with Cheryl that afternoon, and the party immediately following didn't seem any more appealing. She suspected it would just be an entire evening of sitting on her own, probably playing on her phone. "I guess camping will have to wait until next weekend." She added with a sigh. "Anyway, I gotta head out. I told Mrs. Sylvester I'd help with the kid's hip hop class tonight." That was a lie, of course, but Emma couldn't very well say she was going to go to Reggie Mantle's house to have sex. "I'll see you tomorrow Juggie."

* * *

The dance was everything that Emma had dreaded, and aside from the heated looks Reggie kept sending her way, was decidedly _boring._

The party, she knew, was going to be way different. And if it were possible, Emma was dreading it more than she had the dance. With a sigh, Emma stepped through the Blossom's front door, looking around skeptically. It definitely _looked_ like a spooky, haunted mansion, and when they were children she and Jughead and Archie would come up with all kinds of ghost stories. Self-consciously, Emma found herself smoothing down the skirt of her mint green lace skater dress. She definitely didn't _feel_ fancy enough to be standing in this house right now.

Awkwardly, Emma trailed after the stream of people heading deeper inside the creepy house, wondering just how long she would have to stay for Cheryl to be satisfied. She hadn't even spoken to Emma at the dance, and she was starting to wonder what the point even was in Cheryl making her come. What she really wanted was to leave, to go home or to Pop's or literally anywhere else.

"Emma!" The sound of her name, so suddenly, startled her, making her look up to see that Cheryl had spotted her, was smiling in a way that made Emma's stomach fill with dread. "So glad to see you could make it."

"As if I had a choice." Emma replied dryly approaching the redhead. "What was the point anyway, Cheryl? What was there for _you_ to gain by making me come to the dance."

"Oh, Emma. I was just trying to have some fun, expand my horizons. Anyway, I think your _boyfriend_ is waiting for you." She said gesturing into the living room where everyone was gathering.

"My what?" Emma's heart dropped, eyes widening a fraction, especially when Cheryl offered her a knowing look. "You and Reggie, right? Congratulations!" She said innocently. Judging from the mischievous gleam in her eye, however, there was nothing innocent about any of this. "Reggie isn't my boyfriend." Emma said quickly.

"Oh good." Cheryl shrugged slightly. "Nothing that happens tonight should be a problem then."

* * *

Perhaps it wasn't as expensive as Cheryl's dress, but Reggie really did think that Emma looked good.

 _Not_ that he had gotten the chance to tell her that. Emma had kept her distance at the dance, lurking on the edge of the crowd, and the only contact they had were the occasional looks they had exchanged. This was the first time he had gotten a good look at her, with her sitting on the couch across from him.

She looked hot yes, with her pale green dress that made her eyes pop and her hair falling in loose curls, but she also looked nothing like herself. He was used to Emma in cutoff shorts, crop tops, and dusty old converse. To Reggie's surprise, he found that he much preferred her in her usual clothes, with her hair falling in waves. She was probably uncomfortable in her dress, he guessed, and was likely counting the moments until she could go home and change. Reggie still couldn't even figure out _why_ she had shown up tonight.

Perhaps the strangest things though were the narrowed-eyed glares that Emma kept shooting in Cheryl's direction, especially when Cheryl stood, catching everyone's attention.

"It's game time at Chez Blossom, kiddies." She announced. "We're going old-school tonight. Seven Minutes in Heaven. Who wants to tryst in the Closet of Love first? My vote is "A" for Archie. Anyone care to second it?"

"Wait, actually-"

"Yes, Andrews! Yes!" Reggie cheered, immediately cutting off his friend.

Cheryl giggled, before offering a small smile. "All right," she said. "Gather round, kids. Let's see who's riding the ginger stallion tonight." With that, she sat a bottle down on the coffee table between them all. On the opposite couch, Emma eyed it with some disdain, a scowl playing on her glossed lips. She certainly didn't look happy at all.

Suddenly, the image of Emma spinning that bottle and it landing on _anyone_ but him, flashed through Reggie's mind. Or what if Archie landed on her, or any of the other guys currently gathered in the room?

Looking up at him suddenly, meeting his gaze, Emma suddenly pulled out her phone from her tiny little purse. She looked away, typing something quickly on her phone, before looking back to meet his eyes pointedly. A moment later, his phone buzzed.

He reached into his pocket to pull out his phone just as Archie reached towards the bottle, flicking his wrist and sending it spinning. Finally it landed, pointing between the slim slot of space between Emma and the dark-haired new girl, Veronica. Reggie frowned, looking up from the bottle to the space where it had landed, both girls looking rather unsure about what to do. Finally, Emma scooted away, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "No way," she said firmly. "That's not pointing at me."

"It's clearly pointing to the new girl." Reggie said quickly, receiving no arguments from those around him. _Good,_ he thought, because the thought of Archie kissing Emma made his stomach turn uncomfortably.

"Um, I'm not doing this." Veronica said, shooting a quick look at Betty who had noticeably tensed.

"That's up to you," Cheryl smiled. "But if you don't, house rules decree the hostess gets to take your turn."

Reluctantly the two stood, and Reggie took the opportunity to look down at his phone, frowning immediately when he saw what Emma had sent him.

 **Cheryl knows.**

* * *

It didn't happen until a few turns later.

He had been watching the bottle carefully, silently praying that it never landed on Emma, who was alternating between watching the bottle and sending him worried glances. Reggie wasn't sure how Cheryl had found out, he certainly hadn't told anyone, and while he was worried that she knew, his most immediate concern was what would happen if somebody else spun that bottle and it landed on Emma.

He hadn't even thought about what he would do if it landed on him. Which is what happened as soon as Ginger spun it, her lips curling into a coy smile while Emma visibly tensed, before looking up at him with an unreadable expression.

"Come on, Mantle." Ginger purred, brushing her hands through his hair as she passed behind the couch, headed towards the closet. Reggie hesitated, feeling everyone's gaze on him as they all stared, waiting for him to do exactly what they all expected. Except for Emma's, who's green eyes had narrowed dangerously, as if daring him to follow Ginger into that tiny closet. Everyone was watching, he wanted to tell her. It wasn't as if he _wanted_ to follow her in there.

Slowly he stood, forcing a grin as he turned to follow after Ginger. His friends erupted into catcalls and while once, perhaps, they would have filled him with pride, a sense of guilt had settled into the pit of his stomach. He wasn't even dating Emma, that had been made clear, and whether he liked her or not it was stupid for him to feel guilty. She had assured him that no feelings would be involved, so it was even stupider of him to like her.

But then why had she looked at him the way she had when the bottle had landed on him, like she didn't want him to follow after Ginger?

The door shut behind them and suddenly soft hands were being pressed against his chest.

"Hi Reggie." Ginger said softly. The closet was small, smaller than he had expected, and Ginger was standing very close.

"Hey," He said, moving back slightly, aware of what she was probably expecting. The whole point of this game was to make out in the closet, and as hot as Ginger was, unfortunately the only person he wanted to kiss was currently sitting outside, probably thinking the worst.

Ginger moved closer, pressing flush against him, the smell of her perfume suddenly making him feel guilty. She smelled distinctly of something floral, not the citrus-y scent that he was used to from Emma. "Are you going to kiss me, Reggie?" Ginger asked, leaning up so that her lips were hovering right over his.

"Well, I wasn't planning on it." He answered honestly, shifting slightly so he could nudge her back gently.

She huffed slightly, as if she found his words amusing. "Why? Because of _Emma?_ I've seen the looks you've been giving her all night. Cheryl told me there's nothing going on between you, though. She said you two aren't dating."

"We're not." Reggie agreed, frowning. "But-"

"So why don't you want to kiss me, Reg? Don't you think I'm pretty?"

"That's not what I-"

She cut him off suddenly, reaching up to thread her fingers through his hair and pressing her lips roughly to his. His reaction was immediate, placing his hand on her shoulders and pushing her carefully at arms length. "No." He said firmly. "I _don't_ want to kiss you."

* * *

Her eyes stayed set on that closet door for a long time. Those gathered around her were all drinking and making idle conversation, and while Emma had a cup of whatever liquor set before her, she made no move to take a drink. She was more interested in what might have been going on on the other side of that closet door. She had realized it as soon as her heart dropped to her stomach when Ginger had spun the bottle and it had landed on Reggie.

 _She was jealous._

She had silently begged him not to go into that closet, though Emma knew he had to if they wanted to keep whatever was going on between them a secret. But _what_ exactly was going on between them, she couldn't help but wonder. Meaningless sex?

 _Yeah, right._

The feelings of jealousy and anger that were brewing beneath the surface were testament to the fact that that simply wasn't true. At least not anymore.

She wasn't even sure how long had passed since Reggie and Ginger had gone in, and whatever had happened inside Emma assured herself that she would handle it calmly. Betty Cooper had already left in a dramatic scene of jealousy when Archie had entered the closet with Veronica Lodge earlier, and while Emma felt a twinge of sympathy for the blonde, she had decided that it was none of her business.

Cheryl's phone went off suddenly, making Emma jump slightly, turning to look at the red head, who met her gaze immediately, looking very much like the cat who ate the canary. "Well," she said casually. "Looks like their time is up." She took her sweet time strolling over to the door, opening it slowly. "Time's up, guys!" She said brightly, her voice sugary sweet. Ginger walked out first, running her fingers through her dark hair, her lipstick smeared slightly around her lips.

She was going to be sick. Emma definitely felt like she was going to be sick. Ginger was the type to look flawless no matter the occasion and so, for that reason, Emma knew her makeup had been perfect when she had gone in. And if there was even any doubt about what had happened in that closet Reggie walked out a moment later and erased them all.

His hair, previously perfect, was ruffled and messy looking and his mouth was stained the same shade as Ginger's lipstick.

Emma stood suddenly, her stomach churning, catching the attention of all those around her. "I'm not feeling great," she told Cheryl calmly, refusing to make eye contact with Reggie who was looking at her now. "I think I should go."

She didn't wait for a response before turning to leave, walking quickly.

He had kissed her, she knew. He had definitely kissed her. And what was worse was the fact that Emma knew she had no right to even be mad. Reggie wasn't her boyfriend. She had no claim over him. Did she even really want him to be her boyfriend?

 _Yes._

The truth behind the realization hit her heavily, and she had to pause to take a deep calming breath. It didn't matter what she wanted clearly. The best thing to do was to tell Reggie, in no uncertain terms, that they simply could not keep doing what they were doing. It had to stop, otherwise Emma feared she would just end up getting hurt in the end.

But she could tell him that tomorrow, she decided. She didn't particularly want to deal with it tonight. So she pushed open the front door to the Blossom mansion and stepped out into the night, walking quickly and determinedly down the walkway.

"Emma! _Emma!"_

She turned at the sound of her name, blinking in surprise when she saw Reggie hurrying towards her. He had wiped his mouth, she noticed, but his hair was still a mess.

"Reggie." She said coolly. "Got bored of the party? Decided you didn't want to spin the bottle yourself?"

Okay, so she was being a bit catty. She could allow herself that, right? Even if it didn't really make her feel any better about the whole situation.

"You're mad." Reggie observed. Emma narrowed her eyes at him, scoffing slightly despite the fact that he was right. She was mad. "No." She assured him. "I'm fine."

"Really?" He asked, his lips slowly curling up into a smile. "Then why'd you leave."

"Because I...uh...I feel really shitty okay." She defended, turning away with a childish huff to walk away. How dare he look so pleased with himself.

"I pushed her away." Reggie said suddenly, making her stop, turning to look at him in surprise. "When Ginger kissed me, I pushed her away."

"Why?" She couldn't help but ask, eying him suspiciously. Reggie shrugged slightly, shoving his hands into his pocket. "Why are you mad?" He countered.

Emma scowled, crossing her arms over her chest and averting her gaze. "I told you I-"

"Don't lie, Emma." He said. "Did you think I kissed Ginger? Were you jealous?"

He could see right through her, she realized with a start. He fucking _knew._ "No." She lied again, stubbornly. Reggie sighed, shaking his head slightly in exasperation as he stepped closer to her, Emma's eyes widening slightly as she peered up at him. "I didn't _want_ to kiss Ginger." He said slowly, looking down at her. "So I pushed her away. I _want_ to kiss you." He added, making her breath catch in her throat. "Why are you mad?"

"I-I thought…" She sighed frustratedly, ducking her head. She didn't know the first thing about telling a guy how she was feeling. She had never done it before, after all, and the only knowledge Emma had of it was from movies or tv shows. "I was jealous." Emma admitted finally, refusing to look at him. "I don't want you kissing Ginger or _anyone_ else honestly."

"Oh good." The relief in his voice made her look up in confusion, furrowing her brow slightly. "I like you Emma. Like...a lot. And I know we said-"

"I like you too." She blurted out suddenly. Reggie snorted slightly. "You're not used to these kinds of confessions, huh? Usually you wait for the other person to get out what they're trying to say instead of interrupting them."

"So sorry," Emma said sarcastically. "Would you like to start over?" Despite the biting tone to her words she was smiling softly up at him. "Do you really like me?" She asked.

"I like you Emma." He told her gently, tucking a gentle curl of brown hair behind her ear.

"And I don't need to be jealous?" She asked, raising a brow. "Nah," Reggie shook his head. "Ginger isn't my type. Not enough sarcasm, y'know?"

She huffed, punching him lightly on the shoulder, making him laugh. "If you're gonna kiss me, I'd do it now. Before you say something to piss me off." Emma advised, earning a smile as he pulled her closer. "Gladly." He said before pressing his lips to hers. She hummed appreciatively, smiling into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They pulled away a moment later, Emma feeling tingly all over. "So...am I your boyfriend or…" He asked.

She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, a playful smile on her face. "I _guess._ I mean...I'll have to let all of my other boyfriends know because-"

He pressed his lips to her again suddenly, making her giggle lightly. "Yeah," she said finally, when he pulled away again. "You're my boyfriend. But…" She hesitated for a moment, pursing her lips trying to figure out how she wanted to go about it all. "I want to keep it a secret. At school I mean. At least until I can figure out a way to tell Jughead and make him be okay with this. He kind of hates you." She added quickly when Reggie frowned. "And I'm pretty sure your friends would give you shit about it as well. If we're going to be boyfriend and girlfriend Reggie, I need to make sure Jug is okay with it, okay?"

He sighed, hesitating for a moment before finally nodding. "Yeah," he said though he didn't sound happy about it. "You two have been friends your whole life. I get it."

"He's like a brother, Reggie." She corrected. "And as soon as I figure out how to tell him then everyone can know, alright? _But,_ " she added quickly. "If you wanna come to dinner at my house on Tuesday, my mom makes really good Tuna Casserole. And I think my dad would really like you."

"So it's your best friend that you're worried about, but with your parents it's like 'hey come on in they'll love you'?" He asked incredulously.

"Basically. So...yes or no?"

"Well," he said thoughtfully. "I think I'd like to try your mom's cooking."

 _Good,_ she thought. They could worry about Cheryl Blossom later. Right now she was content with this, content with being happy. "Let's go to your house," she said. "Maybe watch a movie or something."

 **Author's Note: So I'm updating this a lot sooner than I thought I would, but the truth is I got frustrated with something else and decided to go ahead and do this chapter. Of course, I didn't expect it to be upwards of 5,000 words so I hope you guys enjoy the length and the content!**

 **Beyond that, I'd really like to think everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. The positivity I'm receiving for it is so amazing and I'm so happy everyone seems to be enjoying it! I think you guys being so kind with your words and so generous with the follows and favorites is what makes it so easy for me to write this story.**

 **I should say, obviously, that this series isn't going to be a slowburn mostly because basically every other story I'm writing right now are the slow burn types and as great as those can be, I kind of just wanted to jump right in, with this one. Plus I really just ship Reggie and Emma together (Regma is my OTP) and it's kind of fueling my need for Reggie that the show just isn't providing me with.**

 **Anyway, here's chapter three, and hopefully you guys decide to leave reviews again because I'm really enjoying reading what you guys think of it all!**


	4. Chapter Three

**CHAPTER THREE**

" _Son, the greatest trick the Devil pulled was convincing the world there was only one of him."_

David Wong, _John Dies at the End_

It had never really bothered Emma that she was an only child. Her parents had gotten pregnant with her when they were very young, before they'd even graduated from high school and while Emma knew she was loved and wanted, she also knew she'd been an unplanned surprised. Not a mistake, her mother had insisted each time Emma slipped up and called herself that. Just a surprise.

Emma knew her parents were great, they worked hard to make sure she had a roof over her head and food on the table. They hadn't deterred her from her interests growing up, despite the fact that they didn't really have the money to fund them. Neither of them had great jobs, part of which she knew was because she had come along so early and college became a pipe dream for both of them, and it was just better in the end that they only have one child. Besides, Emma hadn't really wanted them to have another kid. By the time she had gotten old enough to realize or even care she had become friends with Jughead and Archie, and she had always considered them her brothers.

Only now she and Archie weren't even talking, and she was keeping a huge secret from Jughead which was something she had never done in her whole life. In every single way that counted, Jughead Jones was like a brother to her, and maybe that's why Emma felt so guilty about not telling him immediately what was going on between her and Reggie. So guilty, in fact that her first instinct when she saw Jughead in the hallway as she walked to her locker, that her first instinct was to turn around and run away. Because surely, _surely,_ Jughead would realize that something was wrong. He would know immediately that she was hiding something. And God, she couldn't figure out the best way to tell him exactly what it was that she was hiding. She was scared of what he would think, how he would react. Better to keep it to herself until she could be sure he wouldn't get _pissed._ But she couldn't avoid her best friend until then and so she took a deep breath and marched forward.

"Em, where were you this weekend?" He asked immediately, when she reached her locker, leaning against his own. Emma hesitated, glancing at him from the corner of her eye before turning back to enter her locker combination. "I figured you'd show up at Pop's but you never did."

"I didn't feel too good." She said, the lie falling smoothly from her lips. She couldn't exactly tell him that after the whole ordeal at Cheryl's she had spent practically the entire weekend with Reggie. Her _boyfriend._ Just the thought made her feel guilty and, despite the fact that Cheryl knew and had clearly been out to cause drama between Emma and Reggie things had ended up just fine, and Emma was perfectly _happy._ "I kinda just stayed home in bed and binged the _Nightmare on Elm Street_ movies."

"You feel better now?" Juggie asked, furrowing his brow slightly as he looked at her. Emma shrugged, grabbing the book she needed for her first class.

"Doesn't really matter if I do or not. I've got that kid's hip-hop class to teach tonight." That wasn't a lie. Emma really did have a class to teach that night. Though Mrs. Sylvester didn't let her teach the older classes, Emma did get to help with them and, on occasion, Mrs. Sylvester would ask her to come help teach the adult classes. Emma liked working with the children though, they were still young enough that the fierce sense of competitiveness hadn't yet kicked in.

"What about after? Pop's?" Juggie asked, falling into step beside Emma as she shut her locker and started down the hallway. She shrugged. "Sure. I'd be down for a burger or something."

"Hold on." Jughead said suddenly, making him look over in surprise as he stepped off to the side, stopping beside Archie's locker. She paused, standing dumbly in the middle of the hallway, watching Jughead for a moment before groaning slightly and following after him. She knew her friend missed Archie, _hell_ Emma missed Archie, but she still wasn't quite willing to forgive him bailing on them last minute with no explanation. Especially when Archie knew that both she and Jughead had been saving forever for that trip.

"Hi." Jughead said, catching Archie's attention, making the redhead look over at the two in surprise. His gaze hovered briefly on Juggie before shifting to Emma, who clearly wasn't happy to be standing there judging from the scowl on her face.

"Do you think I can use Jason Blossom's death as an excuse to get out of P.E.? 'Sorry Couch, I'm just too depressed and freaked out right now to do pull-ups.'" Jughead continued, not waiting for Archie to say anything.

Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes while Archie frowned. "Don't joke about Jason Blossom." He said.

"Why?" Jughead asked. "Sardonic humor is just my way of relating to the world."

Laughter from further down the hallway had all three looking up, Emma frowning when she saw Reggie walking with his usual group of friends. "Look, it's the rich kids from _The Goonies._ Alright, I'm out." Jughead scoffed, starting up the hallway, towards Reggie and his friends. Feeling slightly panicked and definitely not wanting to be in the vicinity of both Reggie and Jughead at the same time, Emma turned on her heel. "I'll catch up with you, Jug." She called, not waiting for a response as she hurried down the hallway towards the restrooms.

* * *

Cheryl was a woman on a mission, and that mission was to make sure somebody _paid_ for the murder of her brother.

Her brother who was supposed to be alive and well right now, not lying dead on the coroner's table. _Poor Jason,_ she thought, clenching her fists as her side. She had all but demanded that Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller allow her to be present when they made their announcement, mostly because she had a few choice words of her own to share.

It had been a good weekend, which had made all of this even worse. The dance had been fun, the party eventful. It almost seemed _unfair._ How could she enjoy herself when her twin brother was _dead._ And shouldn't she have realized? Shouldn't her...twin senses have sparked up or something, telling her that something was wrong. This was not the way they had planned it, and now...things just didn't feel right. But Cheryl had to stay strong, steady. Her parents had demanded it.

"Good morning, students." Weatherbee spoke into the intercom, his voice deep and familiar now after having heard it nearly every day for the past three years. "This is your principal speaking. There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening as scheduled. Now on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sheriff Keller."

Damn right the pep rally would be happening. There was too much chaos going on in her personal life right now. Cheryl _deserved_ the chance to shine as the head of the vixens.

"Most of you already know the details, but your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found late Saturday night." Sheriff Keller began. "So as of the weekend, Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide. It is an open and ongoing investigation-"

"And may I interject," Cheryl said suddenly, leaning down to speak into the intercom, her voice sharp and demanding. "Neither I, nor my parents, will rest until Jason's death is avenged, and his cold hearted killer is walking the green mile to sit in Old Sparky and fry. I, for one, have my suspicions. Hashtag Riverdalestrong." As soon as she finished speaking, Cheryl straightened up, returning to her previous rigid stance.

* * *

Emma rolled her eyes, pushing open the door of the restrooms and stepping back out into the now mostly empty hallway. Cheryl really was too dramatic. Old Sparky? Was the electric chair even still a thing? Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she started down the hallway, Sheriff Keller's voice echoing around her once more.

" _If you know anything that could help us find and apprehend Jason's killer, or anything about what happened to him on July fourth, I strongly urge you to come forward immediately. You can speak with me or Principal Weatherbee."_

" _Riiiight,"_ she drawled quietly to herself. "Because Weatherbee is just _so_ approachable."

Weatherbee might not have been the most calming of presences, but Sheriff Keller was nice enough. Hopefully that would help put anybody who actually did have information at ease. _Not_ that they likely expected people to know very much, and Keller had likely questioned the two who had found the body, Kevin Keller and Moose Mason, vigorously. How lucky that one of the witnesses was his own son.

It hadn't taken very long for Emma to find out that they had discovered Jason's body. She had heard all about it from Reggie on Sunday afternoon, and Moose had been sure to spare none of the gorey details when telling his friend.

" _A death like this wounds us all. Let's not let Jason down."_ The voice over the intercom continued, making Emma roll her eyes. Jason was dead. There was no way for anybody to let him down anymore.

It was ridiculous, the way people were acting regarding Jason's death and Emma couldn't help but wonder if it had been somebody else, some poor kid from the southside, would people be reacting the same way. _No._ Jason might as well have been the fucking prince of Riverdale with the way everyone was acting.

"- weirdest thing. This summer we were supposed to take a road trip over July fourth weekend." Emma paused when she recognized the familiar voice of her best friend, furrowing her brow as she turned the corner to find Jughead standing before Archie, clearly confronting him about something. "Which you bailed on at the last minute. Is there something you wanna tell me, _pal_?"

"You know," Emma spoke up, catching both of their attention. "I've been wondering the same thing. We were planning that trip for _months_ Archie. What was so important that you just...backed out?" She raised a brow, moving forward to stand beside Juggie. She had been wondering since that weekend, why Archie would suddenly not want to go on the trip. Especially after they had all spent so long convincing their parents that it was a good idea.

"Look, guys...something just came up." Archie said, shaking his head slightly, walking purposefully past them.

"Something that you couldn't tell your two best friends?" Jughead asked, making Archie hesitate, turning to look back at them with a frown. Emma huffed, shaking her head vehemently. Even now, after a confrontation, Archie was still refusing to explain himself. He wasn't even trying to clear the air.

" _Former_ best friends." She said coldly, before stomping forward, hitting his shoulder with hers as she walked by. "I'll see you in class, Jug." She called, not bothering to turn back to look at him.

* * *

Jughead knew Emma Hayes like he knew his own mind, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the ongoing feud with Archie bothered her more than she was willing to say. She wasn't the best at talking about how she was feeling, Jughead knew that, had known it since they were children. Emma showed how she felt through actions, not words, and he knew that her even stopping to talk to Archie without snapping at him at first was evidence that she missed him and wanted her friend back, the way she had stomped past was the equivalent to her slamming the door in his face. Forgiveness wasn't something Emma was very good at giving, the girl could hold a hell of a grudge and, while she knew it was petty, it wasn't something she actively tried to do.

The truth was, like Jughead, Emma had grown up on the southside of town, where the Serpents ran rampant and, if you gave somebody an inch they would take a mile. Her parents were great, that much was true, and she had grown up with a much better family life than a lot of the other kids in that part of town but Emma wasn't _naive._ Hell, she was one of the smartest people Jughead knew. And while Archie had known Emma just as long as Jughead had, he didn't quite understand her as well. Jughead and Emma had both been exposed to a different kind of environment on the south side of town.

Archie hadn't though, and the truth was there was no way the redhead could ever understand Emma as well as Jughead did. And so, Jughead didn't think that Archie quite realized the gravity of what he had just done. She had tried to get him to talk and he had pushed them both away, _again,_ and as forgiving as Jughead was trying to be, he didn't think that the brunette would want to give Archie another chance.

"Hey!" Jughead called, catching Archie's attention once more. He turned to face him, looking exasperated. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you, but you and I both know that Emma isn't going to be as... _forgiving_ as me. That was her offering you a chance to move past this. What I'm saying is, if you ever wanna be friends with her again, you need to make the first move, man."

* * *

After a particularly disgusting morning of biology where she had been forced to mutilate a poor frog, Emma didn't find that she had much of an appetite. Not that she really expected too, after having to rush out of bio in the direction of the restroom after she and Juggie had cut their frog open.

Gore in horror movies she could handle, but ask her to dissect a dead frog and it was game over. Needless to say she had not returned to class. Instead she had spent the rest of the period in the nurse's office, trying to explain that she wasn't sick and that it had only been the frog guts that had evoked such a reaction from her.

She went to the student lounge instead, sipping on a Sprite from the vending machine, hoping it would help to restore some semblance of balance to her gurgling stomach. It was mostly empty, all the other students either in the cafeteria or outside eating, leaving Emma with relative peace and quiet. It was rare to find the student lounge so empty and she fully planned to take advantage of that, stretching out on the couch and playing on her phone.

 **No lunch today?**

She grinned at Reggie's text, pleased with the fact that he had noticed she wasn't outside.

 **Not today. Had a unpleasant experience in bio today and thought it best if I skip food.**

 **Frogs today?**

"Who are you texting?" Emma yelped, Jughead's voice catching her completely by surprise, and she instinctively hid her phone, pushing it deep down into her messenger bag before looking up at her friend who was watching her, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Nobody." Emma said automatically, before wincing at her stupid response because _clearly_ she had been texting someone. "I mean nobody important." She clarified. "A girl from my dance class."

"Well that girl from your dance class had you smiling like an idiot." Jughead said. Emma frowned, shaking her head stubbornly. "I wasn-"

"Em, the only time you smile like that is when you _really_ like something." He pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We were talking about a routine we're working on." She offered, sitting up. "What are _you_ doing here anyway, mister? It's lunch time. You love to eat."

"Avoiding people," he said simply. "Looking for you."

Emma blinked, looking surprised. What had Jughead needed to talk to her about that he would go looking for her? Especially when they had their next class together as well. "Why?"

"Archie." His words immediately made Emma frown, wrinkling her nose in distaste. She had been upset with her former friend before today, but after their interaction that morning all the feelings of anger felt fresh and raw. "He's hiding something. About why he cancelled on us. I think it's about Jason."

Emma couldn't help but snort lightly in contempt. "You think Archie had something to do with Jason Blossom's death?" She asked, quirking a brow. "Juggie, think about what you're saying. This is _Archie Andrews_ we're talking about. We grew up with him. You and I both know he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I'm not saying he killed Jason." Jughead clarified. "I just think he knows something."

"So what?" She questioned. "Are we supposed to walk up and say 'Hey Archie. Do you happen to know anything about Jason Blossom's gruesome murder that you would tell your two _former_ best friends but that you didn't tell the police?' No actually, that sounds great. We should say that _exactly_. I'm sure it will inspire him to confess to the murder."

"I think we just need to get him to tell us what happened on the fourth of July." He replied, not seeming at all impressed by her sarcasm. There was a tinge of annoyance to his tone that made Emma frown. This whole conversation was ridiculous. Archie Andrews hiding something regarding a murder? As if. "Isn't it strange that he suddenly backed out of a trip that we had planned for months?"

"I mean, yeah Juggie, it's strange. And if something is wrong then he could have talked to us. But he didn't, and I'm past the point of caring now." She admitted with a shrug, before standing and shouldering her bag. "He's the one who pushed us away. If you want to ask Archie anything, that's fine. But leave me the hell out of it." She sighed, shaking her head. This whole conversation agitated her, but it wasn't Jughead's fault. She just didn't want to talk about Archie anymore. "Lunch is almost over. I gotta go to my locker before my next class. See you there." Without waiting for a response she turned and walked away.

She had known Archie for practically her whole life, and she couldn't imagine him hiding anything that would help to solve a murder. But then again, she hadn't thought he would cancel huge, important plans without any explanation either. Maybe the truth was she didn't know Archie Andrews as well as she thought she did.

Here's what she did know: she had no reason to believe that Archie would ever kill _anybody._ He didn't have a violent bone in his body. Hell, once when they were kids and one of the larger boys in class had picked on Archie so bad he had started crying in front of everyone, it had been Emma who had stepped in and slammed her fist into the bully's face. He couldn't even stand up for himself as a little boy and now? Well, Archie still didn't seem like the type to violently stand up for himself, to be honest. He reminded Emma more of a little puppy, then a big aggressive junkyard dog.

So if he was hiding something about Jason's death, what could it be?

Emma sighed to herself and shook her head. She didn't care. That's what she told Jughead, and she had really tried telling herself that. But the truth was, she missed Archie. He had been her friend, one of the people she was closest to in the world and-

Emma paused, furrowing her brow as she turned to look at the door she had just passed. It was Miss Grundy's class, and as Emma had walked by, through the small panel of glass on the door she had seen-

 _No._ She shook her head, laughing at herself. What she _thought_ she had seen was ridiculous. Still, the need to prove herself was too strong and so she took a step towards the door, suddenly feeling very much like a creeper and she peered inside.

Her eyes widened and her stomach dropped, pure shock rushing through her system as she stared inside. _"Oh shit,"_ she breathed, because inside the classroom, locked in a very intimate embrace that no student and teacher should ever be in, were Archie and Miss Grundy. Her hands tightened into fists at her sides, and she went to back away before freezing again. Was _this_ what Archie had been hiding? An affair with their music teacher. They hadn't been back at school that long, hardly enough time for him to start banging Miss Grundy so it had likely been going on longer than that. But how long? Was this why Archie had cancelled the road trip? Had it been happening since _July?_ Or longer than that.

Not taking her eyes off the scene before her, Emma reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, going to her camera app and raising it to point through the small window. It wouldn't get a very good photo, she knew, but it would be good _enough._ It would be proof of something that was happening that was disgusting and wrong and _illegal._

She took the picture, the click echoing in the empty hallway around, sounding far louder than she thought it would. In the silence, it was enough that have Archie and Grundy leaping apart, turning to face the door to see her standing there, looking utterly horrified, heart pounding in her chest. His eyes widened but as he started towards the door, Emma turned and ran down the hallway.

She had to tell Jughead, she knew, but not here. Not at school where someone could overhear. It had to be somewhere private. But she absolutely had to tell Jughead, and then the two of them would figure out where to go from there, whether they would tell Mister Andrews and Weatherbee or the _police._

"Emma! _Emma!_ "

She ignored the sound of Archie running after her yelling her name, and pushed open the doors to the outside picnic area, rushing out just as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. She couldn't talk to him right now, she didn't even think she could stomach _looking_ at him after what she had just seen.

"Emma!" Hands clasped tightly around her wrist, effectively stopping her in her tracks. She swung around to glare at him, trying to tug herself free.

"Let go Archie." She demanded, but his grip stayed firm as he shook his head. "Emma, please." He pleaded. "I need to talk to you. About what you just-"

"Let me go, Archie. Now. Right now!" As she spoke, her voice steadily grew louder, earning them the looks of students passing by, heading to class.

"But Em, I can-"

"She said to let her go Andrews." Reggie's voice from behind was warm and familiar and was enough to get her to relax slightly.

"Reggie, it's fine." Archie said quickly, still not letting her go. He knew her well enough to know that if he were to let her go she would take off immediately. "I just need to talk to her."

"Doesn't seem like she wants to talk Andrews." Reggie observed. "So let her go." He added forcefully.

Archie furrowed his brow, looking between the two of them confusedly, obviously wondering why Reggie Mantle was standing up for her. Finally, Archie reluctantly let go, and Emma immediately backed away, glaring at him.

"Fuck off, Archie." She said, before turning to stomp away again, taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She wasn't going to class, she decided impulsively. Not for the the rest of the day. It had been a day from hell, and mentally Emma didn't think she could handle it. She would get her makeup work from Juggie that night and everything would be just fine.

"Em?" His hand was big and warm and comforting as he placed it on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to face him, peering up at him. "Are you okay?" He asked, worry written clear across his face.

She hesitated, unsure of how to answer before finally sighing and nodding. "I'm fine, I guess. I just...do you wanna blow off the rest of the day with me? I can't go in there. Not right now."

* * *

They ended up parked down by Sweetwater River, their trash from the take out they had picked up from Pop's spread out beside Emma. She sat in the middle of the bench seat of Reggie's truck, head leaned against his shoulder as she slurped noisily on her strawberry banana shake. His arm was slung over the back of the seat, playing idly with a strand of her hair. The radio was on, the upbeat sound of some newly released song filling the car around them.

They had been mostly quiet since leaving from Pop's, but it was a nice kind of silence. Companionable. From her back, dropped into the passenger side floorboard, she heard her phone go off but she made no move to get it. She had sent Jughead a quick text since leaving the school, telling him she wasn't feeling great and was going home. She didn't particularly feel like responding to his 'are you okay?' texts and if it was Archie texting her...well, she didn't want to deal with those either.

"I saw something I _really_ wish I hadn't." She said suddenly, making Reggie look at her in surprise before reaching forward to turn down the radio. Emma had told herself that she would tell Jughead first, but she desperately needed to tell _someone._ Once upon a time, Archie would have been the other person she would confide in, but these days the only other person she really talked to, like _actually_ talked to, was Reggie.

"Is that why Archie wanted to talk to you so badly?" Reggie asked. "Because of what you saw?"

Emma sighed and nodded. "It was really bad Reggie. Like...illegal activity, land someone in prison kind of bad. And I know that he was going to ask me to…to keep it a secret. But how can you...ask someone to do that?"

"Geez, what is he getting up to that's _that_ bad?" Reggie couldn't help but ask, sounding surprised. Which Emma could understand. Archie just wasn't the type. "Did he hurt someone?"

"No." She shook her head quickly. "But I'm afraid he could end up getting hurt, which is really stupid because I'm not even friends with the asshole anymore, but...he's having some gross sort of student/teacher fling with Grundy."

" _What?"_

Emma nodded slowly, feeling sick to her stomach again just at the thought. "Which is totally gross. And I have no idea what to do, Reg."

"Are you going to? Keep it a secret, I mean?" He asked. Emma shrugged slightly. "Tell Jughead for one thing. But other than that, I don't know," she admitted. "I know what the _right_ thing to do is. But it's not necessarily the easy thing to. Archie is my friend. _Was._ And if Grundy is...taking advantage of him or something does he really deserve to have his life ruined because of that?"

"Honestly Em, I don't know." He told her. "I don't what to tell you that will help."

"Well hopefully Juggie will know what to do." She sighed, leaning her head back to look up at him. "And I don't want to think about it anymore right now. I didn't ask you to skip with me to unload my problems on you."

"I don't mind." Reggie admitted. "I like it. You talking to me about stuff that bothers you?"

"Oh yeah? I thought guys were supposed to get annoyed at their complaining girlfriend." She snorted, shaking her head slightly. Reggie rolled his eyes in response, pushing a strand of hair out of her face before pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Emma," he said. "The last thing you could ever be is annoying."

"Gosh you're awfully cheesy." She commented, placing her empty cup in the cup holder before leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. "It's cute though."

It felt like Emma had tons of other things to be worrying about, but in that moment, she didn't particularly care as she pressed her lips to his again firmly, reaching up to thread her fingers through his hair. Better to get her mind off of it, completely. And Emma had the perfect way to do that. "So this is why you wanted to come down to Sweetwater River." He teased between kisses, making her groan and roll her eyes.

"Are you complaining?" She asked, leaning back to look at him with a raised brow.

"Actually yes. It's the middle of the day, Em. Someone could be going for a walk or-"

He had a fair point, Emma reasoned, cutting him off with another kiss. "I guess you better hurry and drive to your house then." She said, earning a grin from Reggie as he reached up to turn the key in the ignition. "I guess so." He agreed.

* * *

The sound of her phone ringing woke her up, the main theme music from _Kingdom Hearts_ echoing around Reggie's otherwise empty room. From beside her he groaned, rolling over to swing an arm over her waist as she opened her eyes, glaring down at her bag. She had been having such a nice nap, all cozy and warm in Reggie's big, nice bed.

Who the _hell_ was calling her.

"Who is it?" Reggie asked sleepily from beside her. Emma shrugged, flopping her face into the pillow. "Who cares? Maybe if I ignore it they'll go away." She said, her voice muffled by the pillow. Probably, it was Jughead, calling to check on her after she had ignored his texts. Or it could have been Archie, calling to beg her not to tell anyone. _Too late for that, Arch,_ Emma thought just as the ringing cut off.

A minute later it started ringing again, making both her and Reggie groan. She dove for her bag, pulling the phone out and hitting the answer button without even bothering to see who it was.

" _What?"_ She snapped.

"Emma!" She rolled her eyes at the sound of Archie's voice, offering Reggie an exasperated look as she settled back against the pillow. "You left school early today I thought-"

"That I went to tell the police?" She huffed. "No. I just saw something that made me sick."

"Well are you? Going to tell them, I mean." Archie asked, his voice tinged with worry.

"I don't know Archie. But annoying me definitely isn't the way to go about getting me to _not_ tell. Now, leave me alone, Archie. I was in the middle of a really nice nap. _._ "

Over the phone, Archie sighed. "Emma, I can explain." He assured her.

"I don't want to hear whatever bullshit explanation you came up with." She told him. "I don't want to know about any of it, Archie. It was gross and wrong and if you can't see that you're an idiot. _Good-bye,_ Archie." And with that she hung up, reaching down to slide the phone back into her bag.

"C'mere, baby." Reggie pulled her close, allowing her to burrow her face into his chest. He played with her hair idly, allowing her to just lay in silence for a while.

"Okay," she said finally, pulling away and sitting up. "Okay, I gotta go deal with this. I can't just...ignore it until it goes away."

"You could." Reggie said with a grin. "Especially if ignoring it means staying here."

Emma snorted, rolling her eyes and standing up. "That _does_ sound nice." She admitted. "But I gotta do the right thing, here. " Whatever the _right_ thing was.

* * *

For the most part, Emma and Jughead sat in silence, both seated on the steps leading up to the Andrews' front porch, waiting for Archie to return. Emma had told her friend everything she had seen over the phone, before asking him to meet her at Archie's so the two could confront him together. She didn't want to do it on her own, for fear of saying the wrong thing and besides, she felt like Juggie had the right to know. In any case, when it came to things like this, Jughead helped to keep her level-headed.

He had been shocked, to say the least, and thoroughly disgusted, but understandably as torn as she was. Telling the police meant that both Grundy and Archie would be punished. And while it was no question to either of them and Miss Grundy deserved whatever punishment the law entailed, Archie was probably being naive and stupid. They were both hesitant to condemn him for that.

And the truth was, deep down, that once upon a time the three had been willing to do anything for one another. Old habits died hard.

The hadn't been there long, but a heavy silence had settled between them. Neither of them wanted to have the conversation that was coming but they both knew how important it was. They both knew that it was in Archie's better interest.

They heard Archie approach a split second before they saw them, both of them standing up instantly, grave looks on their face. Archie paused, a bag of take out from Pop's in his hand. He looked first at Emma, then at Jughead, his forehead creasing in concern. "You told Jughead." He realized.

"Of course I did." Emma nodded. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"

"I thought...I thought you might keep quiet." Archie admitted, sighing heavily.

Emma scoffed. "After I saw what you and Grundy were doing in the music room? You're lucky it was _just_ Jughead I told."

" _Shhh!"_ Archie hissed. "Keep your voice down. My dad is inside."

"We're trying to help you, dude." Jughead interjected. "We're trying to be your friends here."

"Even though we're not anymore." Emma added, sending Archie a narrowed eyed look. "How long have you and Grundy been...fooling around Arch?"

Archie hesitated for a moment, looking between the two, obviously reluctant to answer. Which made Emma think that he knew they wouldn't like it. "Since summer." He answered finally. "I like her."

"At some point you gotta wonder why this _woman_ you like so much can't find someone her own age." Emma muttered. Archie really was being naive if he thought the relationship could work out.

"So I'm guessing she's the reason you've been acting weird since summer." Juggie guessed.

"One of them."

"One of them?" Emma echoed, raising a brow. "There's more?"

"We...we were at Sweetwater River on July fourth." Archie admitted. "We heard a gunshot. _The_ gunshot."

Emma's heart gave a jolt as her eyes widened slightly. "Wait, _what?_ " He heard the gunshot that killed Jason? And hadn't told anybody?

"Dude, you have to tell somebody." Jughead told him instantly, saying exactly what Emma was thinking.

"I can't!" Archie argued emphatically, shaking his head. "And neither can either of you. If anyone finds out about me and Grundy-"

"A kid is dead, Archie!" Emma snapped, furrowing her brow at him. "You heard the gunshot that _killed_ him. I can't believe you would do something so fucking _selfish!_ "

"You're over here worrying about some cougar-" Jughead started, but Archie cut him off. "Don't call her that, okay? She's not like that! She cares about me."

"Stab in the dark, but I'm guessing she cares more about herself." Jughead said. "She's the one who's telling you not to say anything, right?"

"Look, Archie. I saw you guys. She's messing with you man. She's...fucking with your head okay. Taking advantage of your head." Emma insisted, staring at her former friend, hoping he would come to his senses. Hoping he would realize that she and Jughead were right.

"What the hell do you know about it, Emma?" Archie growled. "What the hell do either of you know about it? Or about me even?"

At those words, Emma and Jughead exchanged a look, both of them sighing heavily.

"Nothing." Jughead said finally. "But we knew this guy once. Archie Andrews. He wasn't perfect, but he always tried to do the right thing _at least._ "

Archie sighed, ducking his head slightly for a moment before finally looking up at the too again. "Emma...Jug...if you tell anyone about this-"

" _What?"_ Emma snapped, cutting him off, eyes narrowing dangerously at his words that sounded dangerously close to a threat. "What will you do?" She asked, taking a step closer to Archie, a scowl set across her face.

The sound of the front door opening had all three teenagers looking up with a start to see Fred Andrews standing there, a small smile on his face. "Hey Jug, Emma. You two coming in? We got take-out from Pop's."

"They were just leaving." Archie said coldly, turning to head up the steps before either Emma or Jughead could speak.

"Maybe next time, Mister Andrews." Emma called, as she turned to leave, Jughead falling into step behind her.

* * *

Needless to say, after their confrontation with Archie, Emma had been _pissed._ Not only had the idiot refused to see any kind of reason, but he had clearly been about the threaten them. Emma never thought she'd live to see the day when Archie Andrews tried to _threaten_ her and Jughead, though what he thought he was going to do, Emma had no idea.

This was the same boy that she and Jughead used to to explore the forest around Sweetwater River with. They used to make treasure maps and claim that if they just made a raft and sailed up Sweetwater River then they would be able to find One-eyed Willy's treasure like they did in _The Goonies_.

They used to spend the night at each other's houses, watching movies until the early hours of the morning, when sunlight would start shining through the blinds and they would pass out on the floor in front of the television. Various sodas and snack foods spread out on the floor between them.

A lot had changed between then and now, but Emma had not realized until the night before just how far gone Archie Andrews was. No longer was he the little boy she had grown up with.

She had ended up going home and locking herself in her room, leaving it only to scrounge up some food after her parents had gone to bed. She hadn't wanted them to ask what was wrong and she hadn't been in the mood for more questioning about Reggie. They would be able to interrogate him at dinner the following night, she had decided, and so she had spent the night sprawled across her bed, watching horror movies until she had finally passed out, halfway through _Alien._

She was dreading the next day, mostly because she knew that running into Archie at school was unavoidable. And she had certainly tried her hardest to stay away from him, and when that had proved impossible, she had pointedly ignored him, refusing to even look in his direction. Maybe it was petty, but Emma really hoped that he had noticed.

With a sigh, Emma stuffed her makeup work from her last period class into her bag, before turning to leave the class. Makeup work was the last thing she wanted to worry about during her free period, but Jughead had promised to help during the break so that she could, at least, get it turned in before the end of the day.

She was just nearing the student lounge when yelling caught her attention, making her move faster until she could peek her head inside, curiosity glimmering in her green eyes. Immediately her eyes widened as she saw Archie and Reggie lunge at each other near the vending machine. Without thinking, Emma rushed forward. "Hey!" She yelled, shoving between the crowd of cheering teenagers that had gathered around them. Jughead was standing by the wrestling boys, his own eyes widened with shock, though he made no move to stop either of them. And maybe, if Reggie wasn't involved in the fight, Emma wouldn't either. "Hey!" She yelled again, trying to get their attention as Reggie delivered a punch to Archie's eye, making her wince. Neither boy gave any indication that they had heard her.

The two got to their feet, making to lunge at each other again, but Emma pushed forward before either could deliver anymore punches. _"Enough!"_ She snapped, looking between the two, placing a hand on each of their chests. Reggie looked absolutely _pissed_ she noted. What the hell had happened? "Reggie, take a walk." She told him firmly, trying to look stern. He glowered, looking past her to glare at Archie, before nodding simply and turning to walk away, shoving his way between the assembled crowd. Emma watched him go for a moment, before turning to look at the students who were beginning to disperce, muttering disappointedly.

"What happened?" She asked finally, rounding on Archie who had a hand raised, covering his wounded eye.

"Thanks, Emma." He said. "Reggie has a hell of a-"

"Archie," she interrupted, crossing her arms. "What happened?"

"Reggie was being a jerk." Jughead said quickly, cutting in. "Archie defended me and the two got in a fight."

Emma's heart dropped at that. She knew she shouldn't have expected anything else, really. Reggie was known for being kind of a jerk. But the way he acted around her…

"What did he say?" She couldn't help but ask. Jughead shrugged slightly. "The usual. It doesn't matter, really. He was just being an idiot."

"And you...you stepped in?" She asked, looking at Archie in surprise." He nodded quickly. Emma sighed slightly, shaking her head.

"Take him to the office and get him some ice." She suggested to Jughead. "He's gonna need it for that eye."

* * *

Reggie knew Emma would be pissed before he was actually on the receiving end of her anger. He hadn't thought about it _before_ she had intervened in the fight, stepping in and putting a stop to it, with only a hand to his chest and a stern look. _Now,_ it was the only thing he could think about as he made his way outside to the bleachers, sitting down and allowing himself to stew over the fact that when Emma found him she would likely be livid.

Over the years that they had known each other, Reggie had been on the receiving end of her anger more than once, but not since the two had started sneaking around. Reggie wasn't sure what to expect, wasn't sure if the fact that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend would make her less or more angry.

She was extremely protective of Jughead, and while Reggie couldn't really understand the depth of their friendship, he knew how important it was to Emma that he at least respect it. And if he wanted to be with her, Reggie didn't have much of a choice. Looking back, he probably could have been smarter about the whole thing. In retrospect, accusing Jughead of murdering Jason Blossom probably _wasn't_ a good idea.

The sound of footsteps approaching made him look up, frowning slightly when he saw Emma heading towards him, brow furrowed and green eyes _blazing._ Even when she was mad, she was unfairly pretty, but Reggie knew better than to tell her that. It wouldn't help him in the face of her anger, now that it was directed at him.

"Before you say anything," Reggie said quickly, just as she opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Emma hesitated, confusion flashing across her face. She obviously hadn't been expecting that. Finally, she huffed, rolling her eyes. "I get all worked up, know exactly what I'm going to say to you, and then you go and cut me off with an apology." She grumbled. "I'm still mad at you, by the way." She added quickly as she started up the bleachers to take a seat next to him. "You were making fun of Jughead again, and you know I hate that. But you _did_ punch Archie in the face, and I know it wasn't for the reasons I would have done it, but he kind of deserved it for being such a dick recently."

"If I say that's why I really punched him, would that help my case?" Reggie asked, offering her a small grin. Emma snorted, shaking her head slightly in exasperation.

"To be honest," she said after a moment. "I've spent so much energy being mad at Archie lately, I don't know if I have it in me to _really_ get mad at you right now. Even though you _were_ being a total dick to Juggie. That really is going to have to stop Reggie. If this is going to work then-"

"Emma," he said, reaching out to grab her hand. It was so small and soft in his larger one, her nails painted with black polish that was no chipping away. "This _will_ work okay." Reggie assured her. "I just...won't say _anything_ to him. Okay? I _want_ this to work."

"I guess if you don't have anything nice to say…" She paused for a moment before looking back up at him. "I don't know _exactly_ what happened, and to be honest I don't want to know. Just don't do it again, okay, Reggie?"

"I won't." He promised.

* * *

He showed up at exactly six that evening, shifting nervous on the front step of her little faded white house. To tell the truth, Reggie didn't typically have girlfriends, choosing instead to fool around. He had never met a girl's parents, and if he were being perfectly honest, Reggie wasn't sure what to expect. He would have asked his dad for advice but, as usual, his parents weren't around when he needed them.

So he was left on his own, not being able to ask any of his friends and having to resort instead of google and a quick text to Emma asking what he should wear to meet her parents. Her response of 'uh...anything' had proven less than helpful.

He had worn on button down shirt and a pair of his nicer jeans before hopping in his truck and heading towards the south side of town, making only one stop on the way. Sucking in a deep breath, Reggie raised his fist in knocked,

A minute later, the door swung open to reveal Emma standing there barefoot, still wearing the same loose gray crop top and black cut-off shorts she had worn to school, her hair thrown up into a messy bun atop her head. She blinked, looking him over quickly before her gaze finally settled on the flowers Reggie was gripping in his hand. She grinned amusedly, looking up to meet his eye.

"Flowers?" She asked teasingly. Reggie felt his face heat up instantly, and he hurriedly shoved them forward into her hand. "I thought you would like them." He explained quickly.

"Oh I do." Emma clarified, stepping forward and raising up on her tip-toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. How did you know I liked sunflowers?" She asked.

"You told me."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I did?"

It had been weeks ago, near the start of summer shortly after they had started fooling around. Reggie had made a joke about sprinkling the bed with rose petals and Emma had snorted and told him that roses were stupid and cliche. Out of curiosity Reggie had asked if there was a flower that Emma did like and she had responded instantly with sunflowers. He hadn't bothered asking why, and Emma hadn't elaborated, but Reggie hadn't forgotten.

"Emma, is that him?" A voice called from inside.

"Yeah, Ma!" Emma called before gesturing him inside, turning to walk down the front hall, further into the house, leaving Reggie to follow. It was fairly obvious that it was an older house, but it looked well-maintained. Nothing like the new, modern house that Reggie lived in on the newer side of town.

Emma stepped into the kitchen, Reggie stepping inside to see who he could only assume was her mom stirring something on the stove. She turned when she heard them step in, a wide smile spreading across her face when she saw him.

"Hello!" She greeted. "I'm Lena, Emma's mother. It's nice to meet you Reggie." She said warmly. She looked a lot like Emma, Reggie noticed, with her curly brown hair and light complexion.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Hayes." Reggie greeted.

The older woman offered him a wide smile before turning to Emma. "Your father is in the living roo- Oh! Flowers?" She asked, surprised. "Well that was absolutely sweet of you Reggie. Sunflowers have always been her favorite." She added. "Give those to me, Em, and I'll put them in some water while you go introduce him to your dad."

Emma handed over the sunflowers, before turning to head through the other doorway, gesturing for Reggie to follow. The television was on to some old sitcom, her father sitting in the recliner, leaning back with a beer in hand.

" _Ohhh!"_ Emma paused, eyes on the tv. " _Seinfeld_ re-run?" She asked.

"Mhm," her father didn't turn his attention away from the television, keeping his eyes trained as Emma stepped up behind his chair. Reggie had never watched the show that was on, but it looked fairly familiar.

" _Divorce is always hard."_ Emma said, along with the man on the show. _"Especially on the kids. 'Course I am the result of my parents having stayed together so ya never know."_

"You watch this show a lot?" Reggie asked, looking at Emma with a grin. She glanced at him, nodding. "Yeah." She said. " _F.R.I.E.N.D.S_ is better though."

"Lies!" Her father yelled, looking over his shoulder at them. "This must be Reggie. You like _Seinfeld,_ son?" He asked.

"Oh uh…" Reggie frowned, glancing at the tv. "I've never really watched it." He answered honestly.

" _What?"_ Her dad asked, a horrified expression on his face. "Emma what's wrong with him?" He asked, looking at his daughter. She grinned, glancing at Reggie.

"We gotta educate him, dad." She announced with a grin.

* * *

For the record, dinner with her parents went even better than Emma had expected. She had thought that her parents would like Reggie, but after he had gotten over his initial awkwardness things had gone far better. Of course, there had been some light teasing from her dad but Emma had expected that, and Reggie had done just fine.

When he had left to go home a few hours later, it was with an invitation to join them again for dinner that Saturday night (Saturday was burger night, Emma had told him with a grin) and the assurance that her father would educate him on the joys of situational comedies (according to him Emma and her love of F.R.I.E.N.D.S couldn't be trusted). It wasn't until _after_ Reggie had left that Emma asked them not to mention anything about it to Jughead, as Emma wanted to tell him herself. They had, understandably, been a little confused but had agreed. Which worked out well for Emma considering how often Jughead was over at their house.

Of course, no matter how well the dinner went, the next day it was right back to reality and that meant having to bear the weight of Archie's secret. Emma couldn't understand how, with his affair with Grundy and the fact that he had heard _the_ gunshot the morning of Jason Blossom's death, Archie was going about as if everything was normal during the pep rally.

Of course, Emma didn't generally know _how_ somebody was supposed to act while in possession of that kind of knowledge (guilty she guessed, but she'd never heard a gunshot that might have killed someone) or how someone was supposed to act at a pep rally (she'd never actually gone to one, but going from what she'd garnered from television, people were generally pretty cheerful). The only reason she was even at the Pep Rally was to support Reggie, and she couldn't even really let others know that was the reason she was there.

So she was hanging off to the side with Jughead, keeping an eye on the events of the rally, but mostly playing on her phone. Let Jughead pay attention to what was going on, her tumblr dash was significantly more interesting. She didn't even know why Juggie was there, really, it certainly wasn't his scene but when he had mentioned planning on going earlier in the day, Emma had seen that as her opportunity to tag along with no questions. So after her dance class that afternoon, she had rushed home to shower and change before heading back to the school. No amount of junk food and soda from the concession stands could make the event any more enjoyable, though and it hadn't even really started yet. For one thing, if there was going to be a large, cheering crowd then Emma preferred _not_ to be part of it, preferring instead to be the one they were cheering for. For another, being surrounded by people that she generally _didn't_ like wasn't particularly pleasant. Add to that the fact that Cheryl was going to be out there cheering and Emma definitely had no interest in actually paying attention.

Footsteps approaching made Emma look up, brows raising in surprise when she saw Archie, football helmet tucked under his arm, looking sheepish.

"Girl trouble?" Jughead asked, tone slightly teasing. "You?"

"Grundy and me, we're telling Weatherbee." Archie announced, before quickly adding, "At least I am. And also, I didn't mean all that crap I said to you two." He glanced at Emma, offering her a small smile. "I'm sorry."

She narrowed her eyes, watching him for a moment. The apology was late, but he seemed sincere enough. She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's cool." She said, standing up from her place on the ground and going to stand next to Jughead.

Archie grinned widely, gaze shifting between her and Jughead, almost like he was expecting something else. "We're not gonna hug in front of this whole town." Jughead said with a small laugh. "So why don't we all just do that thing where we nod like douches and mutually suppress our feelings."

Emma snorted. "Sounds good to me."

"Yeah, but as friends right?" Archie asked hopefully.

Emma and Jughead exchanged a long look, each gauging the other's reaction before Emma shrugged.

"To be discussed." She said.

"Over many burgers and many days." Jughead added.

"We can get a head start after the rally." Emma told him, patting Archie's shoulder.

* * *

"So she finally confessed?" Emma asked, glancing at Archie over her shoulder as she walked along the edge of the curb, arms held out to help keep herself balanced. "Good for Betty."

"You _knew?_ " Archie asked, surprised, earning a soft snort of laughter from Jughead.

"You were the only one who didn't know, Archie."

"Why didn't you two ever tell me?" Archie asked incredulously. Emma paused, pursing her lips thoughtfully as she turned to face him. "Would you believe me if I told you that there is an unwritten girl code that prevents me from doing that?" She asked.

"Even if there was, I don't believe you'd actually follow it." Archie scoffed.

"You're right." Emma announced. "I probably wouldn't"

The trio were approaching Pop's, the warm glow from the windows shining like a beacon. They had spent countless hours inside over the years, laughing and joking around. Emma had thought, for a while, that the three of them would never do that all together ever again. If she were telling the truth, she was glad she had been wrong.

"Probably a good idea not to make out with Veronica again." Emma said as she started towards the entrance again. "I mean, I know how pretty females are a weakness of yours _but_ she kind of has that whole femme fatale thing going on. Like 'fuck with me and I'll fuck you up'."

Archie and Jughead laughed, trailing after her as she walked in, pausing when she saw the subjects of their conversation seated at one of the booths, a milkshake in front of each of them. The girls looked over, their gazes landing immediately on Archie, and Emma found herself bracing for the awkwardness she feared would inevitably follow. But Betty turned to share a look with Veronica before turning back around in her seat and smiling at Archie.

"Do you three want to join us?" She asked. Emma blinked, turning to look at Archie and Jughead questioningly. Archie looked unsure for a moment, but it was Jughead who stepped forward.

"Yes," he said. "But only if you're treating."

Emma snorted falling into step behind Jughead who climbed over the back of the seat and sliding in sit sit in next to Veronica who quickly moved so that Emma could slide in as well to sit next to Jughead, before sitting down on the outside.

"Veronica Lodge." The dark-haired girl introduced herself with a smile.

"I'm Emma Hayes." Emma, waggling her fingers in a friendly little wave.

"And I'm Jughead Jones the Third." Juggie added, making Veronica laugh again. "The third?" She asked.

"I would tell you his real name, but I've been sworn to secrecy." Emma told her with a grin.

"That bad huh?"

"Oh yeah." Emma said with a laugh as she flagged down a waiter. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw Betty smiling softly at Archie, the kind of soft look that people reserved for the person that they _liked._ Emma knew that look, after all. She leaned back, glancing at Jughead who, it seemed, had noticed as well. A quick look at Veronica was proof enough that she was eying Archie discreetly as well. It was plain to see that whatever romantic drama had occurred over the weekend, it wasn't finished yet.

 _Oh boy,_ Emma thought. _As if there wasn't enough drama going on._

 **Author's Note: Guess who finally finished a freaking chapter! To be completely honest, it turned out way longer than I wanted it to, and I've been slogging through the second half of it for days but here it is, finally. I wish I could say that the next chapter will be out sooner but I really am not sure, considering I really have to write other chapters for other things. But I will say that I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.**

 **On another note, as a fair warning, I am EXTREMELY upset with the recent news that they're recasting Reggie (a fact that I will refuse to acknowledge in this story) and I really don't know if/how this will effect my enjoyment of the show, considering the fact that Reggie is my favorite character. For those of you who are Ross Butler fans, I am planning to start a Thirteen Reasons Why story soon. Also, if you enjoy this story, you can find extra stuff for it on my tumblr, .com. I post a lot of oc stuff there if you guys are interested!**

 **In any case, I certainly hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and would love it if you left me a review! Also, I'd just like to thank you guys for the amount of follows and favorites and reviews I've gotten! I really appreciate each and every one of them!**


	5. Chapter Four

**CHAPTER FOUR**

" _Oh, it's always the same,' she sighed, 'if you want men to behave well to you, you must be beastly to them; if you treat them decently they make you suffer for it."_

W. Somerset Maugham, _Of Human Bondage_

News of Cheryl Blossom's confession spread like wildfire through the halls of Riverdale High.

Gossip was like that, Winona Wise knew. It spread and spread and spread and no amount of damage control could stop it. Winnie knew this better than most. It was the spread of such wild gossip that had finally chased her and her mother across the river, away from the wild stories the citizens of Greendale had fabricated.

The truth was simply this: her father had been having an affair with a much younger woman. That was it. But people liked to allow their imaginations to conjure up something wild. They liked to imagine that whatever had torn apart the Wise family had been even worse than it actually was.

It's why, two weeks prior, Winnie and her mother had fled, going to stay with her grandparents in Chicago while the house her parents owned in Riverdale was prepared for her and her mother's stay.

Once, Winnie might have opted to stay with her father. After all, her life in Greendale had been practically perfect. She had had a spot on the cheerleading team and had no shortage of friends at school. She had been content. But her father had ruined that with his affair with the woman who was young enough to be Winnie's sister. Rumors surrounded the Wise family, and the fact that they were the richest family in Greendale certainly didn't help to quell any of the circulating gossip. Winnie hadn't even been able to stand walking into her favorite little boutique and seeing the staff start whispering about her. How would she ever be able to deal with school?

At least in Riverdale, things were a little easier. After all, her new classmates would have something else to whisper about. Like the murder of Jason Blossom that was still so fresh on everybody's minds. _Especially,_ she thought, _with Cheryl making some wild confession._

Winnie didn't think that her childhood friend had killed her twin brother, of course. As heartless as Cheryl could be at times, she truly had loved Jason more than anybody else. Winnie understood that especially well. There had been a time when she too had thought that she loved Jason more than anybody else in the world. But that had been a long time ago and now, in a sick sort of way Winnie was sort of thankful that Jason's death had caused such gossip. It kept attention off of her, and as much as Winnie loved attention she certainly didn't like the negative kind.

She walked idly down the hallway, heels clicking sharply against linoleum, her mother on one side and the school receptionist on the other. They were meant to be meeting with Principal Weatherbee, but Cheryl had been guided into the office minutes before their scheduled meeting and instead the receptionist had been instructed to show them around until Weatherbee finished dealing with Cheryl. Winnie's mother was furious, but Winnie didn't mind very much.

Her brown eyes scanned lazily over the hallway, lined with lockers and teenagers who were busy transitioning between classes. Really, it was not so different from Greendale. With any luck, Winnie would settle in just fine. Besides, she _did_ have the benefit of being friends with Cheryl Blossom and, despite everything that was going on, that had to count for something.

"We have a wonderful music program." The receptionist was saying to her mother, before glancing down at Winnie. "Do you dabble in music, Winona."

"No," Winnie said boredly. "I prefer to leave music to the professionals. And it's _just_ Winnie if you don't mind."

"Winnie was on the cheerleading team in Greendale," her mother told the receptionist. Wanda Wise had always been _very_ supportive of that particular extracurricular. She herself had been a cheerleader when she was younger.

"Oh! Riverdale has our River Vixens, captained by Cheryl Blossom. She's already held tryouts for this school year but perhaps if you spoke to her and explained the circumstances-"

"There won't be a problem," Winnie told her matter-of-factly. "I'm friends with Cheryl. She's already assured me I'll have my place with the Vixens."

The receptionist blinked, looking surprised. "Well," she said. "It looks like you have it all figured out."

"I like to be prepared," Winnie responded smugly.

That was true. Winnie hated surprises. She always preferred to know exactly what to expect from any given situation. She, like her mother, was organized to the smallest detail and planned things out as early in advance as possible. It was that sense of organization that had her pausing when her eye caught what was, perhaps, the messiest locker in existence.

The girl standing by it was trying to shove papers into it while holding a conversation with a tall, red-headed boy. The girl was thoroughly uninteresting besides her spectacularly messy locker but the boy was _gorgeous._ But besides that, he looked strikingly like Jason Blossom with that red hair of his.

"Who is that?" Winnie breathed, catching the attention of her mother and the receptionist.

"Oh, that's Archie Andrews." The receptionist said dismissively. "He's one of our football players. He's a sophomore, Winnie. Like you."

" _Hmm,"_ Winnie hummed, eying the boy for a moment longer. Perhaps Riverdale would not be as boring as she had expected. Without another word she turned and continued on her way, leaving her mother and the receptionist to trail behind her.

* * *

"Uh _no,_ " Emma huffed. "You're _wrong._ "

"That's my opinion, Em. It can't be wrong." Archie laughed, leaning against the row of lockers, watching as she struggled to push another textbook inside. "How can it already be that messy. School _just_ started."

"Nope. Your opinion can be wrong when it's a stupid ass opinion. Batman is _definitely_ better than Superman." She said, hurriedly slamming her locker shut before the contents to spill out into the floor. "It's a talent. Don't look at me like that Andrews. There is order to the chaos."

Archie rolled his eyes, turning to walk down the hallway, heading in the direction of the office, leaving Emma to fall into step beside him, tugging her bag higher up on her shoulder. He was in a mood today, Emma had noticed, and while she wasn't the best at offering advice, she liked to think she was pretty good at easing tension with jokes and banter.

All in all, Emma had to admit that it was much better being friends with Archie again. This definitely took less energy than being pissed off at him all the time. Though if he said that Superman was better than Batman _one more fucking time,_ she would probably rethink the whole being friends thing.

"So…" Archie said conversationally. "You play guitar."

"I do play guitar." Emma agreed with a laugh. "Not that that's news to you or anything."

" _Annnnnd_ you sing." He added, making her laugh harder.

"I am known for that, yes. Where are you going with this, Arch?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Could you...maybe help me out? With my music, I mean."

Emma blinked, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. He wanted her help?

"I thought you were getting help from Grundy." She said. "Although I guess you probably aren't getting as much work done in those lessons as you would like, huh?" It was impossible to keep the hardened edge from her voice. Archie knew exactly how Emma felt about his relationship with their music teacher.

"Em," Archie said pleadingly. "I just want all the help I can get. Anyway, Grundy and I...we aren't doing our lessons anymore."

"Have you tried going to Josie?" Emma asked.

"Yes." He admitted. "They said no. Anyway, I'd rather have the help of my childhood best friend. It just happens that when I asked Josie for help you were still…"

"Pissed off at you?" Emma offered.

"Yeah." Archie nodded, sighing slightly. "You're just really good, Emma. And you know me better than most people. I want your help."

Emma tilted her head, considering her friend's words. What kind of friend would she be if she said no?

"Fine." She said finally. "We try it out. See how it works."

Archie grinned widely. "Thanks, Em." He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug. "You're the best."

"I know." she agreed with a nod, before offering him a small smile.

"Hey," Archie said suddenly. "Can I ask you something else?" He didn't wait for her to respond. "What's going on with you and Reggie?"

His words made Emma freeze, her eyes widening slightly. She really shouldn't have been surprised. Cheryl had been sitting on the information since the night of her party. She hadn't even said anything to Emma, hadn't tried to hold it over her head.

Archie stopped, turning to look at Emma where she stood, furrowing his brow slightly. "Em?"

"Cheryl told you." She said matter-of-factly. Logically, Emma knew that Cheryl likely had other things to worry about, but she couldn't help but throw the accusation. Everything she knew about Cheryl Blossom insisted that the redhead had to try to ruin the lives of those around her, even though she herself might be going through hell.

He shook his head. "No. I was only wondering because of what happened after...after you saw me in the music room. When I went after you, Reggie stopped me. Are you two…?"

Casting a quick glance around, looking for anyone who might be eavesdropping, Emma stepped forward quickly, gripping Archie's arm and tugging him off to the side, speaking quietly. "We're dating. And you can't tell Jughead. You _can't._ "

"What, do you think he'll be jealous?"

"No." Emma shook her head. "I'm afraid he'll...feel upset or betrayed that I didn't tell him that I'm with Reggie. That we've been sneaking around since summer. "

"Why haven't you told him?" Archie asked, arching an eyebrow.

Emma sighed. "What was I supposed to say? _'Hey Juggy, I'm screwing the guy who likes to try to make your life a living hell!'_ "

"He'll understand, Emma. You need to tell him. This is Jughead."

"Look, I'm going to tell him. Soon. I just...have to work myself up to it." She said.

"Good." Archie nodded. "And Emma...I know I don't _have_ to tell you this, but...be careful with Reggie okay?"

* * *

"If print journalism is dead," Jughead began, eying Betty curiously. "What am I doing here?"

" _The Blue and Gold_ isn't dead, Juggy." Betty insisted, caressing the antique typewriter with something akin to reverence. "It's just...dormant."

Juggy raised a brow slightly, an amused expression playing across his face.

"But waking up," Betty added quickly. "You're writing a novel, right? About Jason Blossom's murder?"

Jughead had only really told two people about that, Emma and Archie. To his knowledge, Emma had not suddenly started confiding in Betty the intricate workings of Jughead's life. Which left Archie as the one who told her. Not that Jughead minded, really. He was just surprised that Betty knew. "I am." He said with a nod. "Riverdale's very own _In Cold Blood_."

"Which started out as a series of articles," Betty said pointedly. "I'm hoping you'll come write for _The Blue and Gold_."

"I don't really think the school paper's the right fit for my voice," Jughead told her honestly.

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Juggy, Jason's death changed Riverdale. People don't want to admit that but it's true. We all feel it. Nothing this bad eas ever supposed to happen here, but it did. I want to know why."

Jughead stood there for a moment, considering her words. "Would I get complete freedom?" He asked finally.

A victorious smile spread slowly across Betty's face as she looked at him. Part of Juggy wanted to tell her he hadn't yet agreed, but Betty seemed so excited at the thought of him writing for the paper. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

"I'll help. And edit. And suggest. But," she added quickly. "It's your story, it's your voice."

"Doesn't sound like complete freedom," Juggy pointed out. "But I'm in."

"Okay, great!" Betty said brightly. "Um, in that case, I have your first assignment. There's one person who was at the river on July fourth that nobody's talking about."

"Dilton Doiley and his scouts," Jughead said immediately. He had already considered Dilton Doiley as a person of interest.

"Exactly," Betty said, smiling. "If you can get him to talk to you, we _might_ get a piece of the puzzle."

"Oh," Jughead said dismissively. "That won't be a problem."

Betty blinked, surprise flitting across her face. "How are you going to get him to talk to you?" She asked. "Dilton Doiley isn't exactly the most open person in the world."

Jughead smirked slightly, thinking of a certain brunette best friend of his. "Well," he said, as he turned to leave. "I have a secret weapon."

* * *

"Wait, _what_?" Emma frowned slightly, giving her friend a half-hearted glare. "Why will me asking make any difference?" She crossed her arms over her chest, raising a brow at Jughead who could only shrug.

"I can't tell you _why_ Emma. It just will."

"When you told me last night that you needed help with something I didn't think it would be asking one of our classmates about a _murder._ " Emma huffed.

"It'll be simple Emma. Just go ask him the questions. And remember what he says."

"What if he doesn't want to answer, Juggy?"

"He will," Jughead answered, before gesturing out to the field where Dilton Doiley stood with his troop.

Emma turned, biting her lower lip, wondering just how in the hell she had gotten saddled with this particular job. "You owe me." She told Jughead half-heartedly before starting out across the grassy field. When she had told Juggy that she would help him with his novel in any way she could, this wasn't exactly what she had had in mind.

* * *

It was simple, really. Dilton Doiley was fairly certain that he had been in love with Emma Hayes since they were in third grade.

It would be unfair to say that it was because she was beautiful as if that was the only appeal she had. Emma was funny and smart and clever and talented. But yes, she was also beautiful. So when one of his scout members pointed her out, walking across the field towards him, he should have expected his heart to jolt the way it did.

Dilton was not an emotional sort of guy, he never had been. Perhaps that was why he had never told Emma how he felt. Or maybe it was because of the conviction that there would be no scenario where Emma Hayes would ever be interested in dating _him._ No, Dilton was just fine staying a secret admirer if it meant he would never have to be on the bad end of a withering sarcastic response if he ever did tell her.

But damn, she sure did make keeping it to himself in situations like this difficult, especially when she was looking as pretty as she did today. Her hair was loose, hanging in waves around her shoulders, and she was wearing that crop-top of hers with the bright sunflower pattern (and Dilton would be the first to say that Emma looked quite good in yellow) and a pair of denim shorts.

"Who is _that_?" One of the boys asked from behind him, finally pulling his attention away from the girl that was currently making her way towards them.

"One of my classmates," Dilton said dismissively.

"Emma Hayes," one of the other boys elaborated. "She teaches my little sister's ballet class."

"Hey Dilton," Emma said as she got closer, her lips curled up into an easy smile. "Got some time for me to ask you some questions."

Well, _that_ was a no-brainer. "Dismissed." He said over his shoulder, before quickly adding, "But stay close." Whether Emma was there or not, Dilton still had a responsibility to these boys.

"So I have some questions to ask you for an article for _The Blue and Gold,_ " Emma explained, pushing her hair back behind her ear. She allowed her gaze to trail after the boys for a moment as they ventured off in groups, taking this chance to relax. "I was hoping you could help."

Dilton cleared his throat, standing a little straighter. "Sure." He said, simply. Of course he would help, though Emma's involvement with _The Blue and Gold_ was news to him.

"Sooo…" Emma began casually. "Cheryl and Archie both say the heard a gunshot on July Fourth. But neither of them know who fired it."

Dilton frowned, his eyes widening just a fraction. When Emma said she needed help for an article in the paper _,_ this wasn't quite the kind of question he had been expecting. Not that he would have ever expected Emma to ask for his help with any kind of article in the first place.

"This is for an article you're writing for the _school_ paper?" Dilton asked, his surprise evident.

Emma hesitated for a moment, and that was all the answer that Dilton needed. "No," she admitted. "I'm not writing it. Jughead is." She tilted her head slightly, in the direction of where her friend stood, waiting for her.

 _That sly bastard,_ Dilton thought, eyes narrowing slightly in Jughead's direction. So maybe Dilton's feelings for Emma weren't quite as secret as he thought. Why else would Jughead send Emma to ask any questions, instead of just talking to Dilton himself?

"Sheriff Keller already asked me about this," Dilton sighed. "And like I told him, my scouts and I, we didn't hear anything weird." It wasn't a lie, Dilton told himself. And even if it was, it wasn't like he _owed_ Emma anything, just because of his crush on her.

"Did you see anything?"

"A white-winged crossbill." He answered simply. "A long-eared owl."

"Oh. _Birds._ You were bird watching?"

"And," Dilton added. "Cheryl, sitting by the river, soaking wet."

Disappointment flashed across Emma's face, but it was quickly replaced with a forced smile. "Right." she sighed. "Well...I don't know why Juggy sent me to ask you instead of doing it himself but uh...thanks, Dilton." She said. "I appreciate it."

What Dilton _wanted_ to say was that he knew exactly why her friend had sent her over to ask him these questions. What he wanted to say was that there was more to the story than what he had told her, more even than what he had told to Sheriff Keller, but he didn't. Instead, he only nodded and gave her a tight-lipped smile. "No problem, Emma."

* * *

These under-the-bleacher rendezvous had become something of a routine for the both of them.

His slightly chapped lips found hers easily, his hands settling on her waist while she pushed her fingers into his hair, ruining its perfection. He'd probably complain about it later, and Emma would just grin mischievously before heading on her way.

His hands were very big, his fingers brushing against the bare skin of her midriff that her crop-top left exposed.

"Hey," Emma said softly when they pulled away for air.

Reggie grinned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey." He greeted. "How was your day?"

"Good. Long" She responded, before leaning forward to kiss him again, quickly. "Better now."

"So I thought we could hang out tonight." Reggie began. "After practice?"

"Can't." She shook her head. "I have dance practice tonight. Tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, I think I can move some stuff around." He responded with a smirk. "Make some room for you. Maybe we can get a milkshake?"

"Sure." Emma agreed, tilting her head back to look up at him. "By the way...Archie knows about us."

"You told him?" Reggie asked, surprise evident in his tone.

Emma shook her head. "No. He guessed. Because of the way you rushed to my defense the other day, like some kind of knight in shining armor. It's no big deal, I just thought you should know."

"What about Jughead? Have you told him yet?"

"No." Emma sighed. "I will, though. Soon." She took a step back, placing her hands on her hips. "Have you told anybody?"

Maybe she was just imagining it, but Emma thought she saw a flash of guilt cross Reggie's face. "No." He said. "Not yet. I'm kind of letting you take the lead on this, waiting for you to tell your friend."

"Speaking of friends," Emma said suddenly. "Did you hear what Chuck Clayton did to Veronica Lodge?"

Reggie snorted slightly, rolling his eyes. "What? The sticky maple thing. It was just a dumb guy thing."

"Um, _no,_ " Emma said, eyes narrowing. Did he really think it was no big deal? What Chuck had done to Veronica was _humiliating._ Besides that, it was wildly disrespectful. "It was a douchebag, slut-shaming thing to do."

"Why do you even care, Emma. You're not even friends with Veronica Lodge." Reggie said, crossing his arms over his chest, suddenly seeming very defensive.

"Veronica is okay." Emma countered, quickly. "And anyway, it doesn't matter if I'm friends with Veronica or not. I'm still a girl. And believe it or not, slut-shaming affects all women. I don't have to be friends with her to be pissed off."

"Emma, come on. It doesn't matter. Can't we just go back to kissing?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I don't really think I'm in the kissing mood now, Reg. I forgot for a minute that you're actually friends with Chuck Clayton. I'm just going to go. I'll see you later." With that she reached down, scooping up her bag and hurrying on her way, stepping out from under the bleachers and heading back towards the school before Reggie could say anything to try and draw her back. How in the hell could he think that what Chuck did would ever be okay? Was it just because he was friends with the asshole? Or did Reggie really not think it was a big deal?

Emma walked hurriedly, head ducked as she drew in a calming breath. Most of the time she felt like things were going great with Reggie, but then there were times like this where Emma was almost convinced that they were simply too different to work.

* * *

"You sure it was him?" Jughead asked, leaning against the counter where Emma sat, sipping innocently on a strawberry milkshake.

The kid in question was one of Dilton's scouts. Wide-eyed and innocent and having a simple dinner with his dad.

Emma considered his question for a moment, green eyes on the boy before she gave a simple nod. "Yeah," she said. "That's him. He was hanging around during my conversation with Dilton. He was shooting me some pretty funky looks."

"You think Dilton was hiding something?" Juggy asked, turning back to look at her.

She shrugged. "Maybe."

Something was bothering her, it was fairly obvious by the vacant, distracted look in her eye. But she hadn't elaborated when Jughead had asked and he hadn't bothered to pursue the subject. Which Emma was thankful for because she _really_ didn't want to talk about it.

As they watched the boy's father stood, heading over to the register to pay. Jughead sprung into action immediately, sliding into the booth, plucking the cherry off the boy's fresh milkshake and popping it into his mouth. Emma rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to her own milkshake.

Part of her felt bad that she wasn't more focused on helping Jughead but damnit she had other things to worry about. Like the fact that she was apparently dating a misogynistic pig and she had had no idea. What even was she supposed to do about that?

On the counter next to her milkshake, her phone buzzed, Reggie's name lighting up the previously dark screen, alerting her to an incoming text. She hesitated, before reaching out to pick it up.

 **From Reggie 3: hey sorry about earlier**

Well kudos to him for apologizing, but Emma wasn't exactly the one he needed to be apologizing to. She stared at the text for a moment before sighing and turning off the screen, setting the phone down again. She didn't have the energy to try and talk about it now.

" _Doiley shot the gun!"_

Jughead's voice in her ear, urgent and insistent, made Emma jump slightly, turning to look at him in surprise.

" _What?"_ Her jaw dropped slightly. "Dilton killed Jason?" Well, that certainly didn't sound right.

"No. No, he was doing some...survivalist training with his troop."

Emma furrowed her brow, staring up at Jughead in confusion. _"Huh?"_

Jughead took a seat on the stool next to hers, drumming his fingers against the counter, unable to keep still. Emma knew that his mind was going a mile a minute. He always got like this when he was thinking hard about something.

"According to his scout over there," Jughead began. "Dilton Doiley was out there showing them how to "protect" themselves. With a gun, which he fired that morning at the river."

"I mean, yeah okay Jug, he has a gun which is definitely kind of dangerous and illegal for a teenager but...Jason didn't die until like a week later. Dilton didn't have anything to do with it."

"I didn't say he did, Em. But it's still dangerous and illegal. And it's a story."

"I thought you were supposed to be focusing on who killed Jason Blossom." Emma sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Maybe you should turn your attention somewhere el-"

"What kind of journalist would I be if I ignored this?"

Emma was quiet for a long moment, staring at the shake sat in front of her. Finally, she shrugged. "Do what you want, Jug. What do I know about being a journalist?" She stood, pulling her bag onto her shoulder. "Anyway, I gotta go. I have a dance class to teach tonight." With that she turned to leave, leaving Jughead to stare after her, confusion written across his face.

* * *

It was late when Emma finally locked the door after the last couple of the adult ballroom dance class left, hurrying off towards where their car was parked a few feet away. Emma watched them for a moment before turning away, flicking the light off in the front room before heading back into the practice space.

The ballroom dance classes were not her favorites to teach, but with the owner of the dance school, Emma's teacher, Mrs. Sylvester visiting her family in New York, she had left Emma to take care of the classes.

It was a huge responsibility, but Emma had welcomed it with open arms. Besides, it was all good practice for Emma. She had been a student here since she was only four years old, spinning around with the other pre-school girls. While most of them had gradually stopped attending over the years or started to do dance only casually, Emma had continued to throw herself into it. She loved it and beyond that, she was good at it. Of course, Emma could only learn so much and while officially she was still taking classes she has been promoted to something of a teaching assistant as well. She was in charge of the kid's ballet and hip-hop classes and helped with the adult ballroom dance class. Besides that, she was frequently the one figuring out routines for her age group's hip-hop class.

Usually, Emma liked teaching classes, but the adult classes were always the worst. Adults just didn't like taking direction from teenagers, and it always seemed to be a struggle for the adults to realize that Emma, though young, had been doing dance for most of her life. She knew what the hell she was doing.

The practice space was as familiar to Emma as the back of her hand, well lit with hardwood floors and mirrors lining three of the fours walls, a _barre_ lining the other wall.

During the class, it had been easy to keep her mind from drifting back to that moment under the bleachers but now that she was alone, Emma felt that same heaviness settle over her again. The realization that perhaps, her initial impression of Reggie, back before their whole relationship had started, might have been right was not an easy pill to swallow.

The fact of the matter was the Emma liked Reggie a lot, but if he didn't respect Veronica, or any girl for that matter, enough to realize that what Chuck Clayton had done was disgusting and wrong, then how much respect could he really have for her.

It certainly didn't help the situation that Emma had four ignored texts from Reggie and a missed call. He clearly wasn't getting the message that Emma didn't want to talk to him.

Walking over to where her phone sat now, on the soundboard, next to her bottle of water, Emma unlocked it, before scrolling through her Spotify, looking for a playlist to put on while she cleaned.

As if on cue, her ringtone echoed in the silent room, Betty Cooper's name displayed across to screen. Emma's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Why the hell was Betty Cooper calling her?

"Hello?" She pressed the phone to her ear. "Betty?"

"Emma," Betty breathed over the phone, her voice sounding slightly distressed. "I need to talk to you."

Her words sent a shock of dread through Emma, though she wasn't entirely sure why. "Are you breaking up with me, Betty?" She asked, trying to make light of the situation. Betty didn't laugh.

"There's something I have to show you Em. And you're not going to like it. Are you at home, right now?"

"Uh...no. I just got done teaching a dance class. Can't you just show me tomorrow?"

"Emma...this is important. Can I meet you at your house?"

"Uh…" Emma cast a look around the room. It wasn't dirty, really. As long as she got all of her stuff and took the trash to the dumpster on the way out, it wouldn't really be a big deal. And from Betty's tone over the phone, this likely was too important to wait. "Yeah, I'll meet you there."

Emma worked quickly, gathering up the trash and slinging her bag over her shoulder before heading out, grabbing her skateboard as she walked out the back door.

It was a familiar ride from the dance studio to her house on the Southside and when she finally reached her mailbox she saw that Betty was sitting on her front stoop, some sort of book in her lap.

"Betty?"

The blonde's head snapped up, taking in the sight of Emma walking towards her, skateboard gripped in one hand and her bag draped over her shoulder. Emma eyed her for a moment, brow furrowed, as she tried to figure out just what was so important that Betty had ventured into the Southside. Finally, she gestured to the book.

"I guess that's what you want to show me?"

"Yes." Betty nodded, standing up. "But first...Betty told us about you and Reggie. That you're together."

Emma visibly tensed, her jaw tightening. "Us?" She asked.

"Veronica, Kevin, and I. And Ethel."

"Ethel _Muggs_?"

"We were at the school tonight. Looking for something."

Emma raised a brow, clearly unimpressed with the direction that Betty was taking this whole thing. Part of her was nervous. Why would Cheryl tell them instead of hitting Emma where it hurt by telling Jughead?

"Am I supposed to guess what you were looking for or…?"

"We were looking for a playbook. This." Betty held up the book that had been sitting in her lap.

"As interesting as I'm sure football plays are, I don't know what they have to do with what Cheryl told you about Reggie and me."

"It's not that kind of playbook, Emma. It's what the football team uses to keep track of the girls they...do things with. They earn points." Betty took a deep breath, determinedly looking at the book in her hands as she flipped through. "Emma...your name is in it. Next to Reggie's."

It took a moment for Betty's words to register, but when they did, Emma felt the breath go out of her lungs, her heart jolting in her chest, and all Emma could do was stare dumbstruck at Betty.

" _What?"_ Emma was ashamed to hear how small and meek her voice sounded. Part of her refused to believe Betty but that would be ridiculous when Betty was _right_ there, presumably with the evidence in her hands.

"Emma, I'm sor-"

"Show me." Emma interrupted, reaching out for her book, open to a page towards the end. The page was illuminated by the light above the front door and from where she stood, Emma could see the scrawlings of handwriting.

Betty hesitated for just a moment before slowly handing the book over. Emma took it slowly, sucking in a deep breath before she began to scan the pages, looking for her name, hoping against hope that Betty had been mistaken.

But of course, there it was, plain as day, halfway towards the bottom, her name plain and clear, written in Reggie's now familiar handwriting.

 _Emma Hayes, 8 points, "Frigid Bitch"_

* * *

"Emma! _Emma!_ "

She moved determinedly through the crowd, ignoring the sound of Reggie's voice growing ever closer behind her.

"Emma." He reached out, grabbing her arm and effectively stopping her in her tracks.

Emma whipped around, jaw clenched, eyes already brimming with unshed tears.

That's how she had spent her night, shut up in her room and crying. Emma had never been the over-emotional type, it just wasn't in her nature. But Betty's discovery had _hurt._ She felt...taken advantage of. She had trusted Reggie and he had used her and he had gone behind her back, had probably laughed with his friends about it.

"What's wrong? If you're still mad about yesterday, Emma. I'm sor-"

" _Stop."_ Her voice was shaky, not nearly as steady as she had hoped, but she kept her gaze unwavering, her jaw clenched. "I don't want you to talk to me, Reggie. Not ever again."

His eyes widened slightly, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Wha- Why, Em? Because of what I said about Veronica?"

She scoffed slightly, shaking her head. "No. Because I'm a frigid bitch, Reggie. And I don't see why you care. We were was a mistake, Reggie."

She turned away, jerking his shoulder out of his grip and hurrying away again, blinking away her damned tears. She refused to cry here, in this hallway where everyone could see.

She had promised Betty the night before that she wouldn't let Reggie know that she knew about the book, but Emma supposed to had kind of fucked that up. Of course, Reggie wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, so perhaps he wouldn't put two and two together.

Sucking in a deep breath, Emma pushed open the door to the auditorium on her right and rushed in, her chest already threatening to close in with the sobs she was trying to hold back. How in the hell could she have been so stupid? Had she thought she would be different than the other girls Reggie had dated in the past?

The auditorium, as she had hoped, was empty, and as soon as the doors shut behind her, the tears began to flow. God, how stupid was she to cry over a boy like this? A stupid boy like Reggie Mantle who, if she had been smart, she shouldn't have trusted in the first place. And maybe it wasn't even the fact that she had allowed herself to trust him that hurt so much, Emma liked him. She couldn't remember the last time she had had more than just a passing attraction to a guy.

She slid down in one of the seats, sobs wracking her body as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

The sound of the door she had entered through only moments before opening made her stiffen, a gasp tearing through her throat.

"Emma?"

Jughead's voice was soft, familiar, and achingly comforting. Here was someone she _didn't_ have to worry about breaking down in front of, someone she had always trusted. And yet, still, she felt ashamed, because this secret she had kept from him for weeks and weeks and weeks had finally blown up in her face.

"Are you okay?" He moved closer, sliding into the seat beside her, eyes wide with worry but she looked away, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Fine."

"Liar." He reached forward, wiping away a tear she had missed. "Something has been eating at you for weeks. I know you, Emma. At first, I thought it was just everything going on with Archie. You've been hiding something, Em. Is...whatever it is the reason you're crying?"

"Yes." The word left her mouth before she could stop it, but hell if she were being honest, this was probably her best chance to tell Juggy what was going on with her and Reggie. "I...since summer Reggie and I...we've been-"

"I knew about that, Emma." Jughead cut her off, making her look up at him in surprise.

"You did?"

"I _might_ have accidentally seen a very um...telling text he sent you." He looked sheepish as he spoke. "Not that I was looking on purpose. Like I said it was an accident. I put two and two together, Em. I figured...you would tell me in your own time."

" _Oh."_ Well if she had known that, then she would have come clean weeks ago to avoid all the guilt and secrecy.

"So what exactly did Reggie Mantle do to make you cry?"

"He…" Just the thought of it brought a fresh wave of tears to the surface and Emma had to suck in a deep breath. "H-he and...some of the other football players have this uh...playbook. Where they write down the girls they...do things with. And they earn points. Reggie put my name."

"He _what_?" The sharp tone of Jughead's anger made Emma flinch slightly, not quite expecting it. A fresh sob made her body shake and Jughead immediately reached out to her, pulling her against him as best he could with an armrest between them.

"Bastard." Juggy seethed, earning a weak set of giggles from Emma.

"Understatement." She said quietly, hiding her face in his shoulder.

"You deserve better than that, Emma." He said, reaching up and stroking her hair softly, in the way he knew she liked. It was comforting, and something he had done since they were kids whenever she was upset.

"Do I?" She couldn't help but ask. "I was the idiot who trusted him. I knew his type and his track record. Maybe I should have known I was setting myself up for failure. Shame on me, right?"

"No," Jughead said fiercely. "Not shame on you. Emma, you are _literally_ like the best person I know. If he took advantage of you, that's on him."

She was quiet for a long moment and just kept leaning against him despite how uncomfortable the position. "Thanks, Juggy." She said finally, her voice quiet.

"So...what are you gonna do about this book?" He asked.

"I'm gonna let Betty focus on it." She responded. "It's what she asked me to do. Anyway...I don't want to think about that stupid book. Really, I want to focus on something else. Like maybe helping you with your story for the paper?"

A smirk slowly found its way to Jughead's face. "Great. Then we need to talk to Dilton Doiley again. And I hear that he's going to be at the _Taste of Riverdale._ "

* * *

Neither Jughead nor Emma was really the type to enjoy parties like this. That was why, instead of mingling, the two were lingering at the top of the staircase, connecting the room to Mayor McCoy's office upstairs, peering down at the party-goers.

Jughead could tell from Emma's face that she was distracted, though the whole way there she had been determinedly holding up a conversation with him about the article. Not that Jughead could really blame her for being distracted. He guessed he would be too if he were in her shoes.

Likely, Jughead could have tried warning her early on if she had entrusted him with the information, but he doubted she would have taken his advice. Emma was notoriously stubborn. Still, since Jughead had accidentally seen the text exchange between Emma and Reggie weeks ago, he had been expecting the whole relationship to implode. Maybe if Emma had trusted him with the information instead of hiding it or lying about it, this whole thing would have gone down differently. If he were a lesser person, Jughead might have even been mad that she lied to him, but no matter how much he wished she had told him, he understood why she didn't.

He wished it hadn't gone to hell, of course. His best friend was hurting, and he hated to see her upset. Part of him wanted to punch Reggie in the face for doing this to her, but Jughead knew how Emma dealt with her problems. She avoided them and ignored them until they either went away or got worse. It was the same thing she was doing here, with this, and though Jughead knew it wasn't healthy, he didn't know how else to get her to face it instead of trying to distract herself.

"Em." She looked up with a start when he said her name, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah?"

"You sure you're okay?" He asked, eying her skeptically. He liked to think that he knew Emma better than she knew herself, so when she forced a smile to her face it was exactly what he had expected her to do.

"I'm fine."

A lie, but he didn't call her out on it.

She turned away, setting her attention determinedly on the crowd below, tugging her lower lip between her teeth, a sure sign that she was lying. Emma only chewed her lip when something was bothering her.

Jughead sighed, turning away again. It wasn't often that Jughead didn't know what to say to Emma. The two had known each other for so damn long now that words just came easily. Except when she got like this, upset and retreating into herself, unwilling to deal with whatever the problem was.

The sight of Penelope Blossom slapping Alice Cooper down below was enough to pull Jughead from his thoughts, Emma let out a low whistle from beside him.

" _Damn,"_ She said. "Mrs. Blossom got her good huh?"

"Hey. Hey, Riverdale!" Josie spoke into the microphone quickly, awkwardness evident in her voice. She was obviously trying to diffuse some of the tension. "We are _Josie and the Pussycats._ Are you ready to rock?" Immediately, Val and Melody began the play behind her, their hums filling the room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jughead saw Archie sneaking up their stairs, his gaze set intently on the stage below. He settled down beside Emma, a small smile settling on his face.

"Are you sure it was worth sneaking out for some locally-sourced Munster?" Jughead asked, raising a brow.

"I helped write that song, man," Archie responded, glancing at Jughead and Emma for just a moment before returning his attention back to the girls on stage.

Jughead fell silent, listening for a moment before nodding slowly, in approval.

"It's pretty good, Arch," Emma said softly, reaching over to pat his shoulder. Jughead thought he saw a hint of pride for their friend flash across her face.

"We'd love to say," Jughead began, "but Emma and I have to shake down an evil adventure scout."

"He's not evil." Emma admonished lightly, rolling her eyes. "See you, Archie. Nice work on the song." She offered him a small smile before starting down the stairs.

Archie turned and watched her go, frowning slightly before looking at Jughead. "How's she doing?" He asked.

Jughead sighed. "She's...being Emma. You know how she gets. She doesn't want to talk about it."

He stood, giving Archie a nod of farewell, before hurrying after Emma who had reached the bottom of the stairs and looking severely out of place amongst the party-goers in her cut-off shorts and oversized tank top. Not that Jughead would fit in any better than her, admittedly.

"You ready for this?" Jughead asked one he reached her.

"I don't know why you want _me_ to ask the questions." She muttered, not for the first time.

The truth was that Juggy had known about Dilton Doiley's crush on Emma for what felt like forever and he was hoping that Dilton would be more inclined to offer forth information if it was Emma asking the questions. Of course, he couldn't tell _her_ that.

"I just think he'll be more likely to talk to you," Jughead told her simply. Not a lie exactly, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

Emma pursed her lips at him, clearly unimpressed with his response, but she didn't press the issue further.

"Come on," she said. "Let's find him and then get the hell out of here."

* * *

" _Hey there, Dilton."_

Her voice was bright, friendly, and so entirely unexpected that Dilton couldn't help but jump slightly when he heard it.

She was leaning against the wall of the stairwell, eying him with an unreadable expression, her arms crossed over her chest.

Dilton's first instinct was to look around for Jughead. If Emma was here then it was likely he was close by, but he didn't see the familiar beanie anywhere.

"Emma," he greeted, his surprise evident in his voice.

She looked at him for a long moment, green eyes bright and piercing and all he could do was stand there and wait for her to say whatever she needed to.

"Jughead talked to one of your scouts," she said finally. "He knows about the gun."

Panic surged quickly through his body, eyes stretching wide as he looked around, making sure nobody had heard her, before stepping closer and speaking in a low voice. "I _didn't_ kill Jason Blossom, Emma." Was that what she thought? Jason had been shot, after all. And if she knew that Dilton had had a gun then…

"Hey." She reached out, gripping his forearm and giving it a comforting squeeze. "I know you didn't kill Jason, Dilton."

Her expression was open, earnest, and it was enough to have Dilton breathing a sigh of relief.

"But," Emma continued. "It still doesn't look good. Especially because Sheriff Keller doesn't know. Guns are _dangerous,_ Dilton."

"I was doing the Adventure Scouts a favor." He insisted quickly. "With the way this town is going, Emma, they need to be able to protect themselves."

She was quiet for a moment, biting her lower lip thoughtfully before sighing. "Look, I believe you had their best interest at heart." She admitted. "But it doesn't matter what I believe right now. Juggy wants you to meet us in the _Blue and Gold_ offices tomorrow. And that's in _your_ best interest." With that, she gave his arm another squeeze, before turning to leave.

To say that Emma was surprised to see Betty waiting by her locker the next morning, a newspaper in her hands, was a surprise. The blonde was shifting nervous, looking up and down the hallway until her eyes locked on Emma, walking towards her with her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Betty," she greeted a little awkwardly. She hadn't spoken to the other girl since the night Betty had shown her the playbook.

"Emma." Betty offered her a small smile, before holding out the newspaper, a copy of _The Blue and Gold,_ to Emma. "I thought you'd appreciate this."

It was easy to guess what the article was about, even before Emma read it. Betty had told her about the article she was going to write, exposing Chuck and his goons for the playbook. Emma took it, eyes scanning the front page as she read quickly, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. There it was, plain as day, a picture of that damned playbook. Ethel Muggs had even gone on a record for this article, a brave move that even Emma hadn't been willing to do when Betty had asked.

"This is good," Emma said softly, looking up at Betty. "This is really good, Betty."

"Thanks," Betty said softly. "I'm sorry again, Em. About what happened between you and Reg-"

"It's over," Emma said quickly, shaking her head. "It's over, and I don't want to talk about it." She folded the paper up again, sliding it into her bag and turning to enter her locker combination. If Emma wouldn't even talk to Jughead about how she was feeling about everything, then she sure as hell wasn't going to talk to Betty Cooper, no matter how understanding the girl was acting about everything.

Still, Emma couldn't help but turn her attention down the hallway where Reggie stood outside his own locker, gripping the paper in his large hands. He wasn't reading it though. Instead, his attention was set on Emma, his expression apologetic. She narrowed her eyes slightly into a glare and turned away.

"For what it's worth," Betty continued, catching Emma's attention again, "Cheryl feels bad about everything too."

* * *

"What in the hell is this, Cheryl?"

Winnie had reached her absolute breaking point when it came to being ignored by the redhead. She had been at this school for a fucking week already, and Cheryl had hardly said two words to her, too caught up with her own problems. Winnie had tried, thus far, to be understanding but this is where she drew the line. With a scowl, she thrust the most recent edition of the school's paper under Cheryl's nose.

"Winnie," Cheryl began, turning to look at the blonde girl and winding up to say something scathing, no doubt, but Winnie cut her off immediately.

"No," she snapped. "I get it. Jason is your twin brother. This article is gross and reflects badly on him and it sucks and you certainly don't come out of this looking good at all. But Cheryl, I dated him. Everyone here knows that. This reflects on me, too."

"If you're worried that your name was in the book, Winnie, don't. You weren't."

Winnie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I _know_ Cheryl. I wasn't a Riverdale student when Jason and I dated-"

"Before he broke up with you for Polly, you mean," Cheryl interjected.

"Yes, Cheryl, _before he broke up with me for Polly,_ " Winnie said impatiently. "All I'm saying is, if you knew about this, you could have warned me. "

Cheryl tilted her head slightly, expression thoughtful. "I could have," she agreed with a shrug. "I must have forgotten."

Not for the first time, Winnie found herself realizing just what a bitch Cheryl Blossom was.

Winnie thrust the paper into Chery's arms, narrowing her eyes at the other girl before turning, blonde hair fanning out behind her as she started down the hallway, heels clicking against linoleum, attracting looks from those around her. Her anger was radiating off of her in waves, and she was sure that everyone in the hallway could feel it.

This wasn't the first disagreement she had ever had with Cheryl Blossom, of course, and Winnie would wager a guess that it wouldn't be the last, but that still did nothing to appease her anger.

Winnie was trying hard to make sure that the way she presented herself in Riverdale was better than the way her father had painted their family with his most recent scandal in Greendale. And here this article was, with her ex-boyfriend as one of the main culprits behind a playbook detailing the football team's exploits with girls.

Winnie and Jason's breakup had been very messy and very public. After all, Winnie hadn't been happy that Jason was breaking up with her for another girl, least of all a nobody like Polly Cooper.

But that had been a long time ago, and Winnie had long ago gotten past it. After all, why should she waste her feelings on a boy who clearly couldn't care less about her? And anyway, they had to make up eventually. Their families were close, after all, and if Jason and Winnie couldn't be at least amiable with each other then they would each never hear the end of it from their parents.

Winnie was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even realize she was heading right towards someone else who was equally distracted searching through his bag. The two collided and Winnie let out a very undignified shriek as she stumbled back, wobbling unsteadily on her heels before she started to fall.

A hand shot out, gripping her wrist to keep her from falling.

"Geez, are you okay?"

Winnie blinked, looking at her savior in surprise.

Before her, hand still wrapped around her wrist, was a boy dressed all in black, a beanie resting on his head. He was cute, Winnie had to admit, but certainly not her type. Either way, he had very pretty eyes.

"Fine." She said quickly, snatching her wrist back. "Thanks, but maybe next time you should watch where you're going." She eyed him for a moment longer, before strutting past him, chin held high, as if she held no blame in the two of them running into each other.

* * *

Emma sighed, sitting behind the desk in the office that Betty and Juggy used for _The Blue and Gold,_ resting her chin in the palm of her hand and eying the door boredly. Jughead and Betty were waiting as well, the three of them anticipating Dilton Doiley's arrival.

Jughead was determined to rat the boy out to Sheriff Keller and, objectively, Emma had to admit that was probably the best course of action, she couldn't help but think how genuine Dilton seemed when he told her that he had been trying to help his scouts. Maybe he was right. Maybe Riverdale was getting more dangerous. Jason Blossom had been murdered after all, and who was to say that somebody else wasn't going to be.

There was a knock on the door and all three teenagers looked up with a start as Dilton pushed it open before stepping in.

"Have a seat," Jughead instructed immediately, gesturing towards the chair that had been set in front of the desk.

Emma rolled her eyes before standing and moving around the desk, offering Dilton a small smile that she hoped came across as friendly. Emma hadn't much felt like smiling these past few days.

"Hey," She said quietly, as she sat down, perching herself on the desk. He gave a simple nod in greeting, his eyes set warily on Jughead.

"Spill it, Doiley. Tell us all about why you had a gun the morning on July Fourth," Jughead ordered harshly.

" _Juggy,"_ Emma's voice was light but held a slightly warning turn.

"It was a crime, Emma." Jughead reminded her, not for the first time.

She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"If you publish a story saying I fired that gun, my life will be ruined," Dilton said suddenly, drawing everybody's attention back to him. "I'll be banished from the Adventure Scouts and charged with a misdemeanor."

All of which were points that Emma had brought up to Jughead, but he had been less than sympathetic, far more concerned with revealing that Dilton had fired that gun the morning Jason went missing.

"So what if I have a better story?" Dilton continued. "If I tell you what I know, promise me the gunshot stays between us." He wasn't looking at Betty or Jughead, but at Emma, expression pleading. A smart move on his part, really, to try to appeal to Emma. It felt like she was the only one on his side. But Emma wasn't a writer, she was only here on Jughead's insistence.

She glanced at Jughead thoughtfully, raising a brow. Both he and Betty looked hesitant, unsure whether they should agree or not. Surely if Emma were here then she had some say in how they handled this situation.

"You have their word." She said suddenly, making Betty and Jughead look at her in surprise. "As journalists."

Jughead furrowed his brow, a frown tugging at his lips. He clearly wasn't happy with her and she'd probably hear about it later, but for now, Emma was just doing what she thought was right.

"Yeah," Betty said finally, with a nod. "You have our word."

Emma turned back to Dilton to find he was still looking at her, expression thankful. "I saw something at Sweetwater River." Dilton began. "Something nobody else saw. Miss Grundy's car. By the River's Edge. She was there."

His words sent a jolt through Emma and immediately she looked at Juggy, eyes wide in panic. They both knew why Grundy's car was by the river that morning. Because she had been there, with Archie. And if news of this got out, it wouldn't be long before everybody put two and two together and realized that Archie and Grundy had been at the river _together._

 **Author's Note: So uh….hey guys. I don't know if there's going to be anybody returning to read since it's been** _ **nine damn months**_ **since I've updated but uh...here's the newest chapter I guess. I'm really hoping the length of this chapter will at least partially help make up for the long ass time it took the write.**

 **So I'm gonna be honest with you guys. I got kind of frustrated with this story because, as soon as they announced that they were recasting Reggie I was afraid that I wouldn't be happy with it and that everything that I had planned for this story would go to hell. Well...basically, that's what happened. I do not like the new Reggie and could not picture Emma in a relationship with him. And so I had to figure out** _ **something.**_ **Because every decision I had made when planning this story as far as Emma's lovelife went, was with the assumption that she would be with Reggie. I was forced to rethink a lot of things. It kind of made me not feel like writing this story for a long time despite the fact that I really,** _ **genuinely**_ **love Emma, and you guys have been so responsive and kind in your reviews. I didn't want to just abandon this story, but I certainly didn't want to start over.**

 **So I had to plan an alternate route, and because I know there are Jugma shippers amongst my readers, I tried real hard to ship them but I just couldn't. Emma and Jughead are one of the strongest friendships I have ever written and I wanted them to stay just that, a friendship. And I certainly couldn't ship Emma with Archie or Betty or Veronica.**

 **But then, season two started and there was** _ **more**_ **Dilton Doiley who I had loved since the first episode he had appeared in, and I had decided long ago that Dilton would have a long-lasting crush on Emma. Had I perhaps found the answer to my problem. And, as if to concrete this decision in my mind, they had the perfect ship name.** _ **Dilemma.**_ **That's what they were, an answer to a dilemma I had been having for months about the direction in which to take this story.**

 **Now, time for some more honesty. I'm genuinely worried that you guys won't love this ship as much as I already do, mostly because so many of you seemed to love Reggie and Emma. The truth is they just didn't work out, and as much as I wish they had, I hope you guys can get as excited about Dilton and Emma as I am .**

 **Also I know this chapter is kind of garbage. I alternated between thinking it was trash and wanting to scrap the whole thing and the desire to just power through so I could get to the really good stuff. Still, there are some things that I liked about this chapter, like the introduction of another oc of mine (I have a Southside Serpent oc to be introduce next chapter y'all so be ready because she is** _ **awful)**_ **and the interaction between Dilton and Emma. I'm also pretty happy to have finally written some Betty and Emma's scenes, as well as a not tense and awkward Emma and Archie scene.**

 **I know this Author's Note is long and filled with apologies and me trying to explain some of my decisions moving forward but I'm going to end with this note. If you enjoyed this chapter, or if your still around and reading I'd really love some reviews. I know I'm kind of beating a dead horse when I say that they really do help inspire me to write. Also, if you want to see any edits regarding** _ **Trouble,**_ **or any of my other stories, you can find them on my tumblr blog beepbeep-richietozier!**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoy.**


	6. Chapter Five

**CHAPTER FIVE**

" _Screws fall out all the time. The world is an imperfect place."_

The Breakfast Club

It wasn't the first time in recent days that Emma found herself lounging across her bed forlornly.

The room was dark, the only light source coming from her tiny television that was situated on the corner of her dresser. She had escaped upstairs, away from her parents' concerned looks and forcedly upbeat smiles, claiming she wanted to watch _Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle._ To be fair Emma _had_ actually put the DVD in, despite the fact that she wasn't much in the mood to pay attention to it.

She was laid across her bed, her cat Binx curled up against the curve off her stomach, purring softly. It was as if the cat could sense his owner's poor spirits because, since what had happened with Reggie, whenever Emma was home he was practically glued to her side, nudging her with his fuzzy head and trying to heighten her mood with cuddling and purring. They were all valiant efforts on his part but he had been largely unsuccessful.

Her parents were worried about her too. They had gotten the short version, Reggie was a jerk and Emma had broken things off with him, though she kept the reason why she had done it to herself. For starters, she couldn't bear to talk to them about it, couldn't bear to even _imagine_ the looks on their faces, but she also knew her parents would be pissed. They would maybe try to drag up drama that Emma wanted no part off, and so perhaps it was better to just keep things to herself. Besides, she would be fine. Eventually, when she finally had something to lift her spirits again.

Which, unfortunately, her choice in movie was failing at miserably. As much as she loved John Cho movies, not even he could make her feel better.

In the days since Betty had published the article detailing the playbook and how _disgusting_ it was, many things had happened. For starters, Chuck and his closest friends on the Football team had been suspended, though Reggie had not been included in that (she supposed if everyone who had written in the book had been suspended and cut from the team that would have likely been most of the boys). Rumors had spread rampant about the book, about what names were in it and _why._ And of course, Emma's name was brought up by _someone_ somewhere along the gossip line.

Emma hadn't dated before Reggie. She simply had no interest in most of the boys she went to school with and, despite the fact that boys had certainly tried flirting with her in the past, she had been quick to shut them down. Beyond that, when rumors began to circulate about _why_ Emma's name was in that damn book...well, she had gotten far more attention for it than she had ever wanted. _That_ certainly didn't help her mood. She could only hope that her parents didn't find out what the other kids at school were saying about her.

"What do you think, Binxy?" She asked her cat, scratching idly between his ears. "Should I just say _fuck it_ and drop out?"

He raised his head, giving a long, even look, before blinking his eyes slowly and resting his chin on his paws again.

"Gee," Emma muttered, dryly. "Thanks for the help."

Her phone vibrating caught her by surprise, and for a moment she considered ignoring whoever had texted her. There was about a 50/50 chance that it was either Jughead texting her to see if she wanted to hang out, or Reggie, texting her with a half-assed attempt at an apology again. She had not yet gotten around to blocking his number.

Finally, she reached over and grabbed it, unlocking it to see the single-worded text that her best friend had sent her.

 **From Juggy: Pops?**

Her stomach growled slightly and she sighed. Her mother had not yet made dinner and it had been a while since she had gotten to hang out with Juggy. Maybe this was what she needed. Before she could talk herself out of it, Emma sent him a quick confirmation text.

She stood abruptly, startling Binx and making him jump off the bed and dash out of the room. She followed him, though at a slower pace, poking her head out her door.

" _Ma!"_ She called, her voice echoing down the narrow staircase, "I'm going to get dinner at Pop's with Juggy."

Without waiting for a response, she ducked back into her room, changing quickly out of her pajama shorts and tank top and into a cropped sweatshirt and a pair of cut off shorts and her _Vans_. Clicking her television off, she started down the stairs, pausing at the landing and peering into the kitchen where her parents sat at the kitchen table, a small stack of mail between them. _Bills,_ Emma assumed. It wasn't uncommon to find her parents like this, seated at the table to figure out the bills.

"Hey, kiddo." Her dad said brightly, gesturing her into the kitchen. Emma hesitated for just a moment before heading over to the table.

Emma had always had a good relationship with her parents. For one thing, they were a good deal younger than most of her friends' parents, and so they had always had that added "cool" factor. Besides that, her parents had always been incredibly supportive of Emma and her interests. She guessed it was because neither of their parents had been very supportive, evidenced by the fact that neither Emma nor her parents had much of a relationship with either set of grandparents.

For the most part, Emma had always been honest with her parents about things and in return they didn't treat her like some stupid kid. They trusted her and gave her her privacy and Emma was extremely thankful for it.

Maybe that was why, when Emma told them that she had broken up with Reggie, they had been so surprised when she didn't go into details. She was clearly hiding something from them, though they had no idea what and Emma was divulging no information. It wasn't the first time she had hidden something from them, it wasn't like she had told them when she had started _sleeping_ with Reggie over the summer, after all, but it was the first time she had kept quiet about something that was very obviously upsetting her.

"Hanging out with Jughead huh?" Her mom asked, giving her a small smile. "Does that mean you're in a better mood?"

"I'm not in a _bad_ mood," Emma told her. A lie, obviously. Anyone with eyes could see that.

"I don't guess you're going to tell us what happened between you and Reggie, are you?" Her dad asked. It wasn't the first time they had asked that and Emma doubted it would be the last.

" _Dad-"_ Emma began, frowning but he reached out suddenly, taking her hand in his in a comforting manner.

"Emma, he didn't hurt you, did he?" He asked, expression very serious.

She blinked, surprise flitting across her face. Her dad wasn't usually so serious. He preferred to tease and joke. That's what Emma was used to. "...No." She said finally. That wasn't a lie, really. Reggie had never physically hurt her.

"You would tell us if he had, right?" Her mom asked.

"Sure," Emma said dismissively. "Look, I gotta go. I'm gonna be late meeting Jughead." She leaned down, kissing both of them quickly on their cheeks before turning to leave. "Don't wait up." She called back before hurrying out of the house.

It was a familiar walk from her house to Pop's, one she had taken about a million times before and when she finally pushed open those familiar doors she couldn't help but smile when she saw Pop Tate, raising a hand up in greeting.

"Emma!" He greeted, offering her a wide smile in return. "Your usual?"

"Please." She said, glancing around, looking for Jughead.

Her face immediately fell when she saw who he was with. She had been expecting to hang out alone with Jughead, had even been looking forward to it. She had not, however, been mentally prepared to spend time with Betty Cooper, Kevin Keller, and Veronica Lodge.

 _Shit._ Maybe it wasn't too late to get her food to go and haul ass back home, to the safety of her room.

"Emma!" Veronica called out when she saw her, standing and smiling brightly waving at her.

Yeah, it was too late.

"Hey," Emma said, approaching the group, feeling more than just a little awkward.

Veronica nudged Kevin over, scooting in the seat to make room for Emma to sit which she did, shooting a withering look in Jughead's direction. The least he could have done was give her a head's up.

"So uh...what were we talking about?" Emma asked, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. She couldn't just leave now, better to just sit and play nice.

"The drive-in." Jughead sighed. "It's closing."

" _What?"_ She frowned, furrowing her brow. The Drive-In had been part of Riverdale since forever, since before her parents were kids even.

"The Drive-In closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale." Jughead seethed, expression bitter. "No, forget Riverdale, in the coffin that is the American dream. As the godfather of indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say-"

"God, no more Quentin Tarantino references." Kevin groaned.

"What, I'm pissed," Jughead responded. "And not just about losing my job. The Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us. People should be trying to save it."

"It does mean something." Emma insisted. "Unfortunately it just doesn't mean _enough_ of something to everyone."

Which was unfortunate really. Some of the best memories of Emma's childhood had happened at The Twilight. How many movies had she, Jughead, and Archie snuck in to see when they had been on the precipice of turning into teenagers? How many time had she and her parents huddled together under a blanket in the bed of her father's truck, watching whatever horror movie was being offered.

"In this age of _Netflix_ and _VOD_ , do people really want to watch a movie in a car?" Veronica asked, stealing a fry off of Kevin's plate. "I mean who even goes there?"

"People who buy crack," Kevin told her without missing a beat.

"And cinephiles," Jughead added. "And car enthusiasts."

"And teenagers on dates. And families. Look, it sucks that it's closing." Emma sighed. "You know I wish that it wasn't, but I don't know how we could save it."

"It _deserves_ to be saved." Jughead insisted. "Right Bets?"

The blonde looked up with a start, surprise flashing across her face as if she had not expected to be dragged into the conversation.

"Totally," she said quickly, offering Jughead a small smile.

"Anyway, it's closing because the town owns it but didn't invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer she couldn't refuse-"

"Anonymous buyer?" Emma frowned. "What does that even mean? _Anonymous buyer?_ What would anyone in Riverdale have to hide? I mean...other than the _obvious_ murder of Jason Blossom."

"Who cares," Kevin said dismissively

"I do!" Was Jughead's immediate response. "Also you guys should all come to closing night. I'm thinking _American Graffiti_. Or is that too obvious."

"It's a _little_ obvious," Emma told him with a slight shrug.

"I vote for anything starring Audrey Hepburn." Veronica began. "Or Cate Blanchett."

"Or the talented Mister Ripley," Kevin added quickly.

"Betty, your choices." Veronica prompted, startling her again. It was clear the blonde had something else on her mind.

"You okay, B?"

"Yeah," Betty said, forcing a smile. "I was just thinking. Um...maybe _Rebel Without A Cause?_ "

She and Jughead exchanged a look, the two of them laughing softly.

"Here you go, kids." The group looked up as Hermione Lodge, Veronica's mother, sat their orders down in front of them.

"Thanks, mom." Veronica said brightly as the rest of them offered her a smile.

"I was thinking maybe... _The Lost Boys? The Breakfast Club? The Sandlot? The Goonies"_

Emma's last suggestion really made Jughead laugh and with a smirk, she raised her burger to her mouth and took a large bite.

"But no, seriously. _The Lost Boys."_

As far as movies went, _The Goonies_ had been her favorite as a child, an opinion she had shared with both Archie and Jughead. It had been the fuel behind most of their adolescent games. There had even been some rather bold talk about building a raft and sailing up Sweetwater River in search of One-Eyed Willy's treasure. There had been a treasure map and everything, carefully crafted by the three children. Hell, as kids there had even been a period of time when Archie and Jughead had called her Mouth, after one of the characters in the movie.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Veronica huffed. "Please excuse me, Emma. I should go deal with that."

Emma followed her line of sight to see that Hermione was trying to deal with Cheryl's table. No doubt the redhead had gotten an attitude with Hermione.

Emma slid out of the seat immediately. "Go give her hell, Ronnie." She encouraged with a grin.

Veronica stood, immediately stalking over to where her mother stood by Cheryl's table.

Emma sat back down, sliding in to sit by Kevin and taking another bite of her burger.

It was not, she decided, as awkward as she had originally thought, hanging out with everybody. Her big secret was no longer a secret and at least her present company was not the type to give her hell about it.

Veronica returned sitting down again with a huff, opening her mouth to say something before pausing, furrowing her brow slightly when she saw who was coming in through the door of Pop's.

"Now that's an odd combo of people." She commented, drawing everyone else's attention to the group of people that had just walked in.

Emma's frowned when she saw Archie and Fred with none other than Miss Grundy herself, and she couldn't help the panicked look she shot in Jughead's direction. She couldn't think of any good reasons why they would be coming to Pop's together, and surely Archie was smart enough to try and avoid being seen with Miss Grundy at all outside of school.

"I'll be right back," Betty said getting up, causing an even more panicked look to be exchanged between Emma and Jughead.

"Betty, no-" Jughead began but she was already gone, striding in the direction of the table where the group had already sat themselves down.

"Wait, what's going on?" Veronica asked, looking between Emma and Jughead who exchanged another long look.

Betty was smart, there was no denying that. If she knew that both Archie and Miss Grundy had been at Sweetwater River that morning then it would not be a far stretch for her to figure out that the two had been together.

"Uh...nothing. She probably just wants to like...ask him about homework or something." Emma said dismissively.

From the disbelieving look, Veronica gave her, it was easy to tell that the other girl didn't believe her at all.

The sound of the bell on the door jingling brightly was the only indication Emma needed to know that Betty had dragged Archie outside, possibly to confront him about the whole thing.

"What's happening out there?" Veronica asked, leaning across Emma so that she could peer out the window. "Do we know? Is it about me?"

"I have an inkling," Jughead said, peering out the window as well. "And _no._ "

"And I would let it go," Emma advised.

"Yes but you're you and I'm me," Veronica said with a smug smile as she stood. "You do you, girl. I'll be back." And with that, she was gone, turning to flounce out the door.

" _Shit."_ Emma groaned. So much for keeping Archie's fling with Miss Grundy a secret.

"What was it like before she got here," Kevin asked, looking between Emma and Jughead. "I honestly cannot remember."

"It was a lot easier to keep a secret for one thing," Emma muttered, reaching up to massage her temples. So much for the relaxed and easy dinner, she had been hoping for.

* * *

It was the familiar sound of lockers slamming and the din of multiple conversations that reached Emma's ear when she walked into school the following morning, her skateboard in hand and a crumpled granola bar in the other, the only remains of her hasty breakfast.

As they had every day for the past week, curious eyes drifted to her, mouths lilting and conversations shifting. It seemed everyone had something to say about the owners of the names that had been written in the playbook. Though, admittedly, in the days that had passed, it seemed people finally had other things to talk about.

Which was good, because Emma had never liked being the subject of gossip.

She tossed the empty granola bar into a trash can as she passed it before continuing the rest of the way to her locker, crouching down to enter in the combination.

She had not particularly wanted to come to school that morning, or any morning for the last week really. It was embarrassing, but even worse were the longing looks Reggie kept sending in her direction as if he had any right to feel upset or hurt. It was _he_ who had betrayed her trust.

Emma grabbed the textbook she would need for first period before forcing her skateboard into her locker

"Emma."

She had closed her locker with a bang to find him standing there. Emma let out a yelp of surprise, her eyes widening a fraction.

"Dilton," she breathed. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," he offered.

He seemed nervous, Emma noted, though she had no idea why he would be. In his hand, he was gripping one of the flyers for the drive-in.

"Um...I wanted to thank you." He said, before quickly clarifying. "For having my back the other day. Jughead didn't. And I wasn't sure if Betty would. But...you did."

Emma stood, turning to face him, leaning her shoulder against the wall of lockers and offering him a small smile. "I don't think you should have your life ruined, just because you were going _extremely_ mama bear trying to show your scouts how to protect themselves."

Dilton looked almost embarrassed at her words, and he cleared his throat before holding up the flyer.

"I'd like to think you." He said. "With dinner and a movie. My treat, obviously."

If she had been surprised when she had closed her locker to see him, that was nothing to the surprise she felt now. Her eyes stretched wide as she looked at the flyer, advertising that the last movie the Drive-in would be playing was _The Lost Boys._

"Dilton," she began sucking in a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to be seen hanging out with me, right now? There's a lot of rumors going around about me, you know."

A quick glance around the hallway was proof enough of that. There were still the same lingering looks she had been receiving all week. She had been determinedly ignoring the looks and the whispering all week, pissed off as they made her. She had even more determinedly been ignoring Reggie's increased attempts to apologize.

"I don't care," Dilton said immediately. "I want to thank you, Emma. That's all. I don't care what so-and-so says you did with Reggie. Of course," he added quickly. "If you'd prefer not to, I'd understand."

"No," Emma said quickly before he could get the wrong idea. "It's not that. I'd like to. Definitely. I just...thought you deserved a fair warning, I guess."

"Warning duly noted." He offered her a small smile. "I'll uh...pick you up then, at like...six so we can go get food?"

"Sounds great." She replied. "Do you want to like...put your number in my phone so I can text you my address?" She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone complete with it's _Deadpool_ phone case. She unlocked it before handing it over so that Dilton could enter his number in.

"There." He said, handing it back. "You can text me if you want. Just...whenever."

She smiled, sliding it back into her pocket and turning to go. "I'll keep that in mind. See you, Dilton."

She started down the hallway, passing by Reggie's locker as she went. He had been watching the whole thing, she realized, with that stupid wounded puppy look of his. As she passed, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but she hurried past, content with the look of hurt that had flashed across his face.

* * *

Like Greendale and probably every other high school in the world, Riverdale High was fairly monotonous. Which was _fine_ really. Monotony was fine right now when it felt like every other part of her life had been thrown into chaos.

Winnie was looking forward to going home about as much as she looked forward to dentist appointments. That is to say, not at all.

With a heavy sigh, she stepped out into the sunlight, reaching up to shield her eyes as she scanned the street in front of the school, looking for her mother's car. She had expected to get one for her birthday but her mother had found out about her father's mistress only a week before and all the details surrounding Winnie's sixteenth birthday had been forgotten.

"Hey, kid!" A familiar voice called, catching Winnie's attention.

Standing outside the driver's door of a very sleek looking Mazda was her sister Beverly, a warm smile on her face.

Bev had moved out for college and despite the fact that she had already graduated, she had stayed in the city where she had attended college instead of returning home to the small town she had grown up in.

It had been nearly a year since Winnie had seen Bev.

She took off down the stairs, heels clicking with each rapid step before launching herself into her sister's arms, wrapping her own around Bev's slim waist.

Bev laughed, reaching up to smooth Winnie's hair. "Good to see you too." She said softly.

Winnie pulled away, looking at Bev curiously. She was, of course, delighted to see her sister. She loved her more than practically anybody in the world. But that didn't change the fact that she was not supposed to be in Riverdale, she was supposed to be in Chicago, living her cool, grown-up life.

"I figured mom needed me right now," Bev explained without Winnie even having to ask. "I figured you did too."

Which was true, she did. Winnie had been feeling achingly alone ever since her parents separated. She could have as much bravado as she wanted but at the end of the day, she still had nobody to talk to. Cheryl was still mourning over her brother and her mother...well, right now the last thing she needed to hear was how upset Winnie was that she was leaving her cheating husband. Her mother simply would not be able to separate the fact that her cheating husband was also Winnie's father, not yet.

"I thought we could get some coffee." Bev offered. "Talk."

"Yeah!" Winnie agreed eagerly, before darting over to the other side of the car so that she could get inside.

"So...how do you like Riverdale so far?" Bev asked as they took their seats at one of the patio tables outside the cafe. They each had their iced coffees in hand and Winnie had gotten a banana nut muffin to snack on as well.

"It's...quiet. Reminds me of Jason."

Bev hummed thoughtfully, raising her coffee to her lips to take a sip before speaking again. "And Cheryl? How is she doing?"

"She's...fine," Winnie said with a shrug. "Distant. Upset. They did just find her brother's body."

"And how are you doing with everything? Them finding Jason's body and mom and dad splitting up?"

Winnie went quiet for a long moment, staring down at her muffin. Since Jason's disappearance over the summer, nobody had bothered asking how _she_ felt about everything. It made sense, of course, Cheryl had lost her _brother,_ and Winnie and Jason hadn't dated for _months._ Of course, all the concern had been directed towards Cheryl and her family. Maybe Winnie didn't even really have a right to be upset.

And _then,_ her parents separated and she was supposed to see her father as the bad guy for cheating on her mother. But Winnie just _couldn't._ Her mother wasn't exactly the warm, fuzzy type. Not that it was an excuse but Winnie had felt how cold her home had grown over the years. Hadn't she seen with her own eyes the way her mother had pulled away?

"I'm fine," Winnie said finally.

Bev leveled her with a disbelieving look, pursing her lips slightly. "Liar," Bev said. "It's okay if you're not. It would _make sense._ "

Her words hung in the air between them, and all Winnie could do was stare at her sister, who had the sincerest of looks on her face.

The fact of the matter was it didn't _feel_ okay to be anybody less than okay. She had always played that part, hadn't she? The perfect daughter, perfect girlfriend, perfect sister. Perfect everything. It was _exhausting._ Her mother seemed to depend on Winnie being a firm, steady shoulder to lean on. It _almost_ felt like a responsibility.

"So," Bev said, changing the subject. "How is the high school?"

Now that was a question that Winnie could answer without feeling awkward. "Boring. Monotonous. Pretty much the same as Greendale High."

Bev smiled softly. "Are the boys cute?"

"Uh...there are some who are pretty cute, yeah. There's one who looks a lot like Jason." Winnie replied.

Her sister laughed, shaking her head slightly. "I would think that you would have learned your lesson about attractive redheaded boys."

"What about you, Bevvie?" Winnie asked, before taking a bite of her muffin. "Now that your home, are you gonna rekindle things with Ren?"

At the mention of her longtime boyfriend, Bev couldn't keep the red tint from her cheeks. The older blonde rolled her eyes, heaving out a heavy sigh. "As _if_."

"I _thought_ he was the love of your life. That's what _you_ said anyway."

"Yeah, forever ago." Bev shook her head. "Things between Ren and I have been over for a _long_ time."

* * *

At no point had Dilton ever thought he would ever look over to see Emma Hayes sitting in the passenger seat of his car, looking as pretty as he'd ever seen her in her crop top and yellow plaid shirt and denim shorts.

It has always seemed almost...otherworldly. Unattainable. Emma had never seemed to pay him much attention one way or the other, but the way she had smiled when he had picked her up, eyes bright and warm, had sent what felt like a shot of hope through his heart.

This whole week had felt surreal. A week of the two texting back and forth, texts that, at the risk of sounding desperate, Dilton had responded too eagerly. She had initiated them, sending texts that ranged from her usual dry humor to musings about her day. And then he had picked her up and she had opened the door and flashed him a smile that felt like liquid sunshine.

What had followed had been, perhaps, the most enjoyable dinner that he could remember. They had sat at Pop's for almost two hours, laughing over milkshakes and fried pickles, which Dilton had never even tried until Emma had gushed over how good they were.

They had only left when Emma had noticed that they were close to being late for the movie, a movie which Dilton had never seen but Emma had assured him that it was good.

She sat in the passenger seat, slurping on her coke, eyes glued to the screen where the movie was playing. It wasn't a date, Dilton knew, but it _felt_ an awful lot like a date. He couldn't help but wonder if Emma was getting the same vibes from the whole thing. Maybe, but probably not. After all, it was so soon after her relationship with Reggie had ended. It would be unfair to expect anything from her and Dilton had invited her out because he _genuinely_ wanted to thank her for having his back and make sure she had a nice time.

Judging from the rumors he had heard around school, Emma probably hadn't been having a very easy go of it. Dilton knew first hand how much the kids at their school could suck, and while Emma usually dealt with bullies with a mixture of impassiveness and sarcasm, their remarks were rarely based on facts.

As he watched, Emma sat her cup in the cup-holder before reaching up to rub her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm herself, still watching the movie, totally unaware that Dilton was far more interested in her.

"Are you cold?" He asked, startling her and making her look at him, blinking in surprise.

She opened her mouth to respond but he was already sliding his leather jacket off and handing it to her.

"Thanks." She said before sliding the jacket on and offering him a small smile. "What do you think of the movie so far?"

"Uh…" He looked at the screen, trying to get some idea of what was going on. As best he could tell the main character had just been bitten by his brother's dog. "It's great," Dilton said finally, tone not at all convincing.

Emma rolled her eyes, chuckling lightly. "We can go, if you aren't into it."

"No," Dilton said quickly with a frown. He definitely didn't want to leave. He was enjoying this, had enjoyed the whole night so far and was already dreading having to drop Emma off at home. "I don't want to go."

She tilted her head, looking at him thoughtfully as if she wanted to press the issue further but it seemed she thought better of it and finally turned back to face the screen. Dilton did the same, deciding it might be better to actually pay attention to the movie that was playing.

The sound of heels clicking against asphalt caught his attention and with a frown, Dilton glanced out the window to see two girls working their way between the cars. He didn't recognize them but when he heard Emma suck in a sharp breath beside him he turned to shoot her a questioning look.

"Shit!" She cursed, peering through the windshield tugging her lower lip between her teeth.

"Do you know them, Emma?"

"Unfortunately. They're serp-"

" _Emma?"_

She audibly groaned, rolling her eyes as she turned to look at the girl who was peering in through the passenger window, her lips stretched into what could only be described as a venomous smile. Her hair was long and red and for a moment Dilton was struck by just how similar she looked to Cheryl Blossom. Flanking the girl, looking far less interested in Emma, was a dark-haired girl. Both of them were wearing leather jackets.

"Sage," Emma greeted, sounding disinterested. She turned to look at Dilton. "She's the knock-off Cheryl Blossom of the Southside."

"Hi, Emma." The other girl greeted, seemingly oblivious or uncaring to the tension between Emma and her friend.

"Hi, Lucy."

Sage scoffed, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Who's your date, Emma?" She asked. "Does he know about all the things you let that Bulldog do to you. We heard about it all the way on the Southside so it _must_ be good gossip."

For a moment, Dilton expected Emma to lash out with something scathing, to say something that would leave this girl humiliated in front of her friend as was true Emma Hayes fashion, but for the most part, she appeared unphased.

"He knows," Emma told her coolly. "Not that it's any of your business. Now if you don't mind we're trying to watch the movie so kindly fuck off. I'm about the roll my window up, and I don't care one way or the other if your face is still in the way when I do."

Sage scoffed, glaring at Emma before finally pulling back and tossing her hair over her shoulder, continuing on her way, the heels of her boots clicking against the pavement of the parking lot, her friend following suit.

In the rearview mirror, Dilton could see the snake emblazoned on the backs of both of their leather jackets as they walked away. _Serpents_ , he realized and for a split second he wondered how Emma could possibly know them before he remembered that she had grown up on the Southside, probably knew her fair share of serpents just because she lived in the same vicinity as them.

"Old friend of yours?" He asked finally, earning a small laugh from Emma.

"Sure," she replied, sarcasm dripping from her tone. "We're best buddies."

"I'm sorry about what she said."

"You didn't say it, so don't be sorry," Emma told him. "And she was only trying to be a bitch by saying it. She doesn't like me because she has it in her head that I think I'm better than her and her friends and all the other kids that go to Southside High because I choose to go to Riverdale."

"Well for the record, I'm glad that you choose to go to Riverdale." He offered.

She looked at him for a long moment, expression thoughtful, before she nodded in agreement. "I'm glad I do too."

* * *

For the first time in about fifteen minutes, Winnie caught her sister peering through the rearview mirror at the Southside Serpents who were gathered behind the row of cars, jeering loudly and just being a general distraction to the number of moviegoers who had shown up to watch the last movie that the _Twilight_ would ever show.

If Winnie didn't know better, she would say that Bev was doing it because she was annoyed at the amount of noise the Serpents were making. However, it had only taken one glimpse of a familiar face to realize that Bevvie had seen someone that she knew very, _very_ well among the group and that she kept checking to see if he was still there.

Winnie would recognize Renfield Rafferty anywhere, partially because he was devilishly handsome, but also because there had been a stretch of time when she had been sure that he would become her brother-in-law. It had seemed inevitable back then with the way he showed up without fail each weekend to take Bev on dates and the way she had religiously called him each night, lying across her bed as she talked to him in hushed tones, seemingly unaware of Winnie eavesdropping from the doorway.

Their parents had never liked him, but Bev had been crazy about him and so had Winnie for that matter. For one thing, Ren was always very nice to her, way nicer than any of the boys Bev had dated prior. And for another, he actually seemed to care about his sister, unlike those other boys.

They had seemed perfect for each other, but life had driven them apart and when Bev had left for college, their relationship had ended. Winnie suspected that her sister was still hiding feelings for him though, a suspicion that was strengthened by Bev's emphatic denial everytime Winnie brought it up.

"He's still over there," Winnie told her suddenly. "Why don't you say hello?"

Bev turned to look at her, schooling her face into an expression of surprise. "Who?" She asked.

Winnie rolled her eyes. "Ren. He's over there."

"I don't want to say hello to him." Bev insisted.

"Sure. Okay." Winnie responded, offering her sister a sly smile, before raising her voice so that the serpents gathered behind them could hear her clearly through the open window. "Hey, Ren!" She poked her head out the window, waving in his general direction, and was pleased when he looked up, brow furrowed in confusion before recognition lit across his face.

" _Winona."_ Bev hissed warningly, just as Ren broke free of the serpents and jogged over to the car, a smile on his face.

"Is that little Winnie?" He asked as he reached the window, offering her a smile. "God, you're all grown up now."

He glanced past her, towards the driver's seat and his smile immediately faded, only to be replaced by a look of utmost shock. _"Bevvie?"_

"Hey Ren," Bev replied, not meeting his gaze, staring determinedly out the windshield, her cheeks tinged red.

The tension was palpable in the air around them and for the slightest moment, Winnie regretted calling him over until his face split into a handsome smile once more.

"Well damn, it's good to see you. Both of you. What are you doing in Riverdale?"

"Our parents split," Bev explained quickly. "So our mother and Winnie moved here."

"And you came to offer moral support?" Ren guessed.

"You could say that."

"So I guess you're going to Riverdale High, huh Win?" He asked, turning to look at her.

She nodded once, simply. "Yeah. Your little sister goes to Southside High, right?"

"Yeah," He said, running his hand over his slicked-back hair. "Well, I'll let you two enjoy the movies. You should call me sometime Bev." He added, giving her a lingering look before turning to leave again.

Beverly watched him go, tugging her lower lip between her teeth. When he was finally gone she gave Winnie a venomous look. "What did you do that for?" She asked.

"Because you totally wanted to talk to him."

Bev sighed, shaking her head slightly. "You're a brat, Winnie. I hope you know that."

Winnie tilted her head back and laughed.

* * *

"Wait so you've _never_ seen _The Sandlot?_ " Emma exclaimed, staring at Dilton with wide eyes

He chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "I'm not a big movie buff." He explained.

"Yeah but... _The Sandlot…_ pretty sure that's like...required viewing or something."

She shifted in the passenger seat, turning to face him fully. They had pulled into her driveway about ten minutes prior but had been so caught up in their conversation that she hadn't made any move to get out and he hadn't acted like he was in much of a hurry so it didn't seem like such a big deal.

"Okay," she said. "So what other crucial movies have you missed out on? Have you seen... _Donnie Darko_?"

"Nope." He replied, shaking his head.

" _The Breakfast Club_?"

"No."

" _Fight Club_?"

"Now that I have seen," Dilton said quickly, looking quite proud of himself.

"Jesus fucking Christ, of course, _that's_ the one you've seen. I guess the only solution to this problem is that I'm going to have to educate you, Dilton. Don't worry, I'm here now to help."

"My hero." He said without missing a beat, making her grin.

Admittedly, Emma was surprised by how well the night had gone. She wasn't quite sure what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't to sit in his car and talk for so much of one of her favorite movies. And that was _after_ they had gone to Pop's where they had sat and talked and talked and talked. Or so it had seemed at the time. But it certainly hadn't been a bad thing. The conversation had never been forced or awkward. In fact, Emma had found that she quite liked talking with Dilton.

So okay a fraction of their night had been marred by the appearance of Sage Saffron, a girl that Emma had never actually gotten along with, but her less than pleasant demeanor had quickly been forgotten in favor of a much more pleasant conversation.

She was glad that she had gone to the drive-in with Dilton tonight, a fact that struck Emma suddenly. She supposed she could have gone with Veronica and Kevin, but had feared that Veronica would compare the movie with _Twilight_ and that would have been too much for Emma to bear. _Or_ Emma could have maybe sat in the booth with Jughead, even though she had never actually done that before. Ideally, the next best choice would have been Archie but to her knowledge, her friend hadn't even made _plans_ to be at the drive-in. Maybe she could have gone with Betty, but Emma didn't think the blonde girl had been there tonight either.

So maybe he wouldn't have been her first choice initially, but Emma certainly wasn't _upset_ with the way the night had gone. In fact, she really didn't really want it to end. This was the best mood Emma had been in since breaking up with Reggie and part of her was afraid that going inside would be like stepping back into the bad feelings that had seemed to make her house grow stagnant over the past two weeks.

"I'm serious," Emma said. "We can watch these movies together that I am so shocked that you have missed and you can see what you've been missing."

She didn't miss the look of surprise that flashed across his face but it was gone just as quickly and he nodded. "Okay, Em."

"Cool." She said, pushing the passenger open and sliding out. "Here." She started to slide his jacket off, but he held a hand up, making her pause.

"Keep it." He said. "Looks better on you."

A smile slowly spread across her face. "Okay." She said. "I had fun tonight."

"Me too." Dilton replied

"So uh...I'll see you at school, Dilton." She said, raising a hand in farewell before turning and starting towards the front door, turning to wave goodbye once more before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

The lights were all out, except for the one over the stairs, indicating that her parents had already gone to bed, though Emma wasn't really surprised. Her mother had work in the morning and her father would have woken up that morning for his long shift at work. Besides, her parents were notorious for going to bed early.

A soft meow made Emma grin as she stooped down to run her hand over Binx's head.

"Hey, kitty kitty." She cooed, scratching beneath his chin, giggling at his very audible purring. She picked him up and hugged him to her chest, feeling in a much lighter mood. "I had a good night." She told him, rubbing her cheek against the soft fur of his head

He bumped his head against her cheek, snuggling closer and she smiled, warmth filling her chest. She had felt pitiful, for lack of a better word, since her breakup with Reggie, blaming herself for not somehow predicting what would happen. It had felt, in some part, like whatever negative feelings she had been feeling were because she had been too dumb to see his true colors and she had been too invested in the brewing feelings between them.

So maybe she had been a little naive, but it had been _Reggie_ who had made mistakes. And as much as it sucked and despite the fact that she felt taken advantage of, Emma didn't want to dwell on those feelings anymore.

Reaching into her pocket, Emma slid out her phone, unlocking it before scrolling through her contacts until she reached Reggie's name. She stared at it for a moment, before deleting the contact entirely.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: So uh...I got it to you guys quicker than I got the last chapter to you. Hopefully it will be easier to get chapters out to you guys since I've recently finished outlining the rest of this fic and the sequel, which has a title that I'm not going to reveal until I'm closer to finishing** _ **Trouble.**_

 **Also** _ **Trouble**_ **has a new cover, I don't know if you guys noticed. I like this one far more than I like any of the others I've done. If you guys would like to see some of the other things I've made for** _ **Trouble**_ **or any of my other fics, you can visit my tumblr beepbeep-richietozier. You can also send me asks there regarding this fic or any other that I'm working on.**

 **I know a lot of you guys are still hoping Emma will end up with Reggie and despite the fact that it will lose me readers I can absolutely say that Emma** _ **will not**_ **be ending up with Reggie. Despite that being my plan when I started this fic, that is no longer the direction that I wish to take with this story.**

 **To the readers that plan to stick with me and this story, I want to thank you. I am nervous about the main pairing having been changed to DiltonxOC but it's the route that I am also most excited about taking and I hope you guys grow to enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing them.**

 **So please, leave me reviews letting me know what you think. I'm always glad to get reviews and follows and favorites from you guys as they truly make my day! Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon!**


End file.
